There are brighter days ahead for New England Patriots offensive tackle Will Campbell, mostly because it can’t get much worse than Super Bowl LX.
The LSU product had a horrendous game against the Seattle Seahawks, and his performance (along with the rest of the offensive line) is a big reason why the Patriots failed to secure their seventh Super Bowl on Sunday night at Levi’s Stadium.
Campbell and the Patriots offensive line allowed quarterback Drake Maye to get sacked six times, as Seattle’s defense suffocated New England. Campbell’s struggles were evident in the moment, and one stat really encapsulated the rookie’s struggles.
As NFL Network senior manager of research Jack Andrade noted, Next Gen Stats attributed 14 QB pressures to Campbell against the Seahawks. It’s the most allowed by any player in any game this season, including the playoffs.
Will Campbell’s Brutal Playoffs Ends With Historically Bad Super Bowl Showing
It somehow gets even worse. As pointed out by Underdog, the 29 pressures Campbell allowed over the course of the entire playoffs were the most recorded in a single postseason in the history of Next Gen Stats.
“Seahawks pass rushers sped past Campbell and got their kicks against him so frequently, they might as well have dubbed him ‘Route 66,'” The Athletic’s Michael Silver wrote after the game.
Clever line aside, it does sound as if the Seahawks knew they were going to control the line of scrimmage on defense.
“We knew their offensive line couldn’t hold up against our rush,” Seahawks defensive tackle Byron Murphy told reporters after the game. “We tried to keep (Maye) rattled. We knew he liked to hold onto the ball a bit. We also knew where he liked to step up and escape. We tried to take that way and to make it very hard for him.”
Patriots’ Offensive Line Suddenly Becomes Major Offseason Priority
For much of the season, it looked as if Campbell was the right pick at No. 4 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. Despite concerns about his size, Campbell largely held his own, when healthy, during his rookie season. The same could have been said for Jared Wilson, another rookie, at left guard.
Yet, by the time the Super Bowl came to a merciful end for the Patriots, it’s worth rethinking all previous thoughts about the youth movement on the left side of the offensive line. After facing a historically easy schedule during the regular season, elite playoff defenses bullied Campbell and Wilson for the last month. Had it not been for comically bad quarterback play on the other side of the field, there’s no chance the Patriots would have reached Santa Clara.
Now, there will be questions as to whether Campbell is even the long-term answer at left tackle. There’s certainly a world in which the Patriots kick him into left guard. Even if Campbell stays on the outside, the rest of the line is a question mark, too. Right tackle Morgan Moses is 34 years old, and center Garrett Bradbury is also on the wrong side of 30.
“But this problem starts with the talent, and the Patriots don’t have enough of it up front on offense,” Matt Dolloff wrote for 98.5 The Sports Hub’s website. “They need to upgrade one spot on the O-line, at a minimum, and also invest in a legit blocking tight end. McDaniels will probably want a fullback, too. Offensive blocking is the No. 1 thing to improve in the offseason, and the Super Bowl was a reality check for that.”
Insane Will Campbell Stats Sum Up Patriots Rookie’s Woeful Super Bowl