The Los Angeles Chargers rolled out their much-anticipated schedule video and decided to poke at the New England Patriots, their coach Mike Vrabel and former reporter Dianna Russini, while also ribbing a few other teams. The clip tees up the Week 12 meeting at SoFi Stadium and leans into the Sedona photos storyline that has haunted the Patriots. You’ll get bits about a New York Post reveal, a few team jabs, and the league’s hands-off stance on these cheeky videos. Expect sharp humor, a couple of bold headlines, and a closing reminder to follow the beat on X.
The Chargers have built a reputation for creative schedule-release clips and this year’s entry keeps that tradition alive. They didn’t shy away from controversy when their Halo-style video circled the Vrabel-Russini affair, using a Halo-themed setup to make its point. By putting the Week 12 Patriots game at SoFi Stadium center stage, Los Angeles made sure the moment lands where fans will see it up close.
In the video a pair of militiamen on ATVs are rolling into playoff territory when a message pops up on the screen: “NYPost sent you a message,” and the riders wipe out spectacularly. The gag is blunt and visual, the kind of taunt meant to get a laugh and a social-media reaction in equal measure. It’s a short beat but one that calls back directly to how the photos first surfaced online and prompted headlines.
The images in question were first published on Page Six and other outlets showing Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini together in Sedona, Ariz., lounging by a pool, in a hot tub and embracing on a bungalow roof. Those pictures and the coverage that followed pushed Russini to resign from The Athletic and to remove her social media presence. Vrabel has since held multiple press conferences, missed the final day of the NFL Draft while seeking “counseling” and described the conversations with his family as painful.
The national attention even produced blunt, all-caps headlines that circulated widely online, including “NEW YORK TIMES INVESTIGATING NFL REPORTER DIANNA RUSSINI AFTER PHOTOGRAPHS WITH PATRIOTS COACH MIKE VRABEL EMERGE.” That banner summed up how quickly a local incident can mushroom into a national story, and it’s exactly the sort of material a savage schedule video can use to get under an opponent’s skin. The Patriots’ public handling of the matter opened them up for the kind of ribbing the Chargers deployed.
This wasn’t the Chargers simply singling out New England. The video poked at other teams too, with jabs about the Baltimore Ravens and a failed trade for Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby, and a laugh aimed at the New York Jets for failing to record an interception in 2025. It even flashed the slogan “Conquer the cupcakes,” a cheeky reference to schedule strength complaints, which doubled as both boast and insult. That mix of trash talk and pop-culture staging is exactly what fans expect from modern team promos.
The NFL officially stays out of approving or disapproving team schedule videos, so the league can wash its hands of any trolling that teams choose to deploy. That hands-off approach means clubs can push boundaries if they want to gin up interest and social buzz before a matchup. For teams like the Patriots, that freedom means they’ll likely face more public jokes and digs throughout the season unless they change the narrative on their own terms.
At its core, the Chargers’ clip is a reminder that modern NFL storytelling lives as much in viral videos as it does on the field, and teams will use every angle — controversy, trade rumors, statistical slights — to make the schedule feel like must-see content. The stunt is playful and pointed, and whether you think it’s classy or petty probably depends on which helmet you wear on Sundays. FOLLOW ARMANDO SALGUERO ON X: @ARMANDOSALGUERO
