Patriots coach Mike Vrabel called for penalty after yelling at official, which set up easy Bills touchdown before comeback win

Mike Vrabel helped cost his team a critical touchdown on Sunday afternoon.

The New England Patriots coach lit up an official on the sideline late in the first half of their 29-26 win over the Buffalo Bills. It doesn't appear that Vrabel said much to the official in the moment at Highmark Stadium, though he clearly wasn't happy with the previous call on the field — which was a defensive holding call on Patriots cornerback Marcus Jones.

"That's a f***ing terrible f***ing call," Vrabel was spotted saying to the official.

Referee Bill Vinovich confirmed after the game through a pool report that it was Vrabel's language and the fact that he was out of the box on the sideline that led to the penalty.

"I don't know how you're going to give a warning," Vinovich said, via ESPN Mike Reiss . "It's not something that is going to happen twice. When you use language like that, it's pretty much a given."

Regardless, the penalty completely changed the end of the first half for the Bills. The two penalties set them up with a first-and-goal, and led to a 2-yard touchdown run from Josh Allen three plays later.

Drake Maye was intercepted in the final seconds of the first half, too, which set up a 27-yard field goal for Tyler Bass. That ended up giving the Bills a three-point lead at the break.

Now, the Bills still could have scored had Vrabel not been hit with the penalty. It's not fair to put the blame entirely on him, as Buffalo had already made it into scoring position. The holding call gave the Bills a fresh set of downs at the 11 yard line, too. But Vrabel cut that distance in half with his penalty, which made the score much easier.

The Patriots opened the second half with a long touchdown drive. Drake Maye found Romeo Doubs for a 2-yard score, which put them back in the lead. Bass hit another field goal early in the fourth quarter, this time from 38 yards out, to get the Bills back within one.

After a quick stop Allen hit Keon Coleman for a perfect 34-yard touchdown. The two-point conversion attempt after failed, but it was still enough to lift the Bills to the lead.

That missed two-point conversion, however, cost them. Maye found Efton Chism for a wild 23-yard touchdown after Chism somehow managed to haul the ball in with one hand. That put the Patriots on top by three, after they succeeded in their two-point conversion attempt with just 1:50 left on the clock.

While Allen had a chance to mount a game-winning drive, he thew an interception while looking deep for Joshua Palmer. Craig Woodson came up with the game-sealing pick.

Allen went 23 of 33 for 253 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the loss, which was the Bills' first of the season. James Cook had 75 yards and a score on 12 carries, and Coleman had 116 yards and a touchdown on six catches.

Maye went 21-of-36 passing for 257 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. He was their leading rusher with 56 yards on six carries. Doubs had two touchdowns and 58 yards on six catches.

The Patriots, thanks to the comeback win, now sit at 2-2. In the end, though it certainly wasn't a great moment, Vrabel's penalty didn't end up costing the Patriots the win.