Will Campbell’s rookie postseason got off to a rocky start, but in the AFC Championship Game, the New England Patriots’ left tackle finally started to settle in-and just in time. Tasked with protecting Drake Maye’s blindside against the league’s most productive pass-rushing unit, Campbell delivered his best performance of the playoffs when the stakes were highest.
The Patriots played 64 offensive snaps against the Denver Broncos, and for the first time this postseason, Campbell didn’t allow a single sack. That’s a significant turnaround for the first-year lineman, who had surrendered four sacks in his previous two playoff appearances-two each against the Chargers and Texans, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. Those struggles had painted a picture of a rookie still finding his footing under postseason pressure.
But against Denver, Campbell flipped the script. He gave up just one quarterback hit and one hurry, a notable improvement considering he was lined up across from Pro Bowler Nik Bonitto-a player who had been on a tear and hadn’t gone a game without a sack in a month. Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel took notice.
“I thought he played better against a really good rusher,” Vrabel said, acknowledging the growth in Campbell’s game.
The Patriots made Campbell the fourth overall pick in this year’s draft, and from the jump, he was thrown into the fire as the team’s starting left tackle. It’s one of the toughest assignments for any rookie, especially when you’re protecting a young quarterback in a high-pressure environment like New England. And while Campbell has shown flashes, the road hasn’t been without its bumps.
His development took a hit in late November when he suffered a knee sprain during a game against the Bengals. The injury sidelined him for four games, forcing the Patriots to place him on injured reserve. He returned just in time for the regular season finale, but the playoff gauntlet that followed was unforgiving.
Against Los Angeles, Odafe Oweh gave Campbell all he could handle. A week later, Houston’s Will Anderson Jr. got the better of him in a matchup that exposed some of the rookie’s lingering rust. Those two games highlighted the steep learning curve that comes with postseason football, especially in the trenches.
But then came Denver-and with it, a glimpse of what the Patriots hoped for when they drafted Campbell so high. He wasn’t perfect.
A missed cut block in the first quarter, a false start in the second, and a miscommunication with Jared Wilson in the third quarter on an incompletion showed there’s still work to be done. But overall, Campbell looked more composed, more confident, and more capable of handling elite-level pass rushers.
And that’s exactly what New England needs heading into Super Bowl LX, where they’ll face a Seattle Seahawks defense that knows how to get after the quarterback. The Patriots don’t need perfection from Campbell, but they do need progress. And for Vrabel, the signs are encouraging.
“We’ll need to keep improving,” he said. “And I’m excited that he has another week to do.”
For Campbell, that next week is everything. It’s another chance to grow, to refine, and to prove that he’s not just surviving the postseason-he’s starting to thrive in it.