The New England Patriots put together a fantastic defensive effort to beat the Los Angeles Chargers 16-3 in the AFC Wild Card round on Sunday night in Foxborough, MA. And a celebration after the game-sealing play left Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel with a bloody lip, while it also made NBC announcers Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth laugh hard.
The Chargers had fourth-and-nine at the New England 34-yard line when defensive tackle Milton Williams brought Los Angeles quarterback Justin Herbert down for a sack.
Milton Williams with the exclamation point!
LACvsNE on NBC
Stream on @NFLPlus + Peacock pic.twitter.com/3AdWbXrtax— NFL (@NFL) January 12, 2026
After the play, Vrabel wanted to celebrate with Williams on the sideline and received a little bit of a headbutt while Williams still had a helmet on.
“[Mike Vrabel] tried to kiss Milton Williams, and he’s bleeding, and there’s never been a happier bleeder!” – Cris Collinsworth 🏈🎙️ #NFL #NFLPlayoffs #SNF pic.twitter.com/EGyP7DubDj
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 12, 2026
“When Milton Williams went over, he got bloodied!” Tirico exclaimed and began laughing.
“He tried to kiss Milton Williams, and he’s bleeding, and there’s never been a happier bleeder!” Collinsworth responded. “Watch him; he’s going to go back over to Milton in a minute. He’s going to say, “Milton, watch! Watch what you did to me here!’ Well, there it is! There it is! You want to hug a big offensive, defensive lineman like that? You’re going to take it in the chops.”
“There was a fight in the preseason, when they were working with other teams, and he jumped right in there and got all bloodied,” Tirico said. “And that’s Mike Vrabel, who won three Super Bowls in his eight years here. When he was inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame two years ago, he was still the Titans head coach. He came here and said to the fans during that celebration, ‘Enjoy it. Appreciate it. It’s not like this everywhere.’ He’s come back home if you will, and he’s about to lead the Patriots to a playoff win for the first time since Super Bowl 53.”
“Mike, that’s one of the great shots of the year right there,” Collinsworth said.
“No doubt,” Tirico responded.
“So, Milton Williams gets paid a hundred million dollars, whatever the heck it was,” Collinsworth continued. “And to top off this whole night, the first playoff win, you’re going over, and Milton Williams pops you in the lip, and look how happy Mike Vrabel is! He goes, ‘(Collinsworth noise) You popped my lip! It’s bleeding everywhere! I love you!’ And that’s what he’s turned into. He’s the heavy. He’s also the guy that can make them laugh. And he’s the guy that can make those personal connections that’s probably going make him Coach of the Year.”
“There he is, bloody lip and all to shake hands with a guy like Jim Harbaugh, who would do the same kind of thing,” Tirico said as the game officially ended.
Williams won a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles last season before signing a four-year, $104 million deal with the Patriots over the offseason. He had two of New England’s six sacks in the victory. Vrabel will happily take a busted lip if it means Williams will keep being a force on the Patriots’ defensive line as they continue their journey through the playoffs.
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.