The New England Patriots walked out of a rainy Gillette Stadium with their first win of the season Sunday. They may have also walked away with another encouraging sign that one of the most important pieces of their offense is taking a significant step forward.
Will Campbell drew one of the toughest assignments an NFL left tackle can get against Pittsburgh Steelers star T.J. Watt.
The second-year tackle more than held his own when the two went head-to-head.
According to matchup numbers shared by MLFootball after New England’s 20-3 victory, Campbell faced Watt for 22 snaps, including 14 pass-blocking snaps. He was credited with allowing just one pressure and one hurry, with zero quarterback hits and zero sacks on those reps.
Those numbers quickly made the rounds among Patriots fans after the game, and for good reason.
Watt wasn’t shut out Sunday. The Steelers star finished with 1.5 sacks, four total tackles and two tackles for loss.
But Campbell’s work when matched up against one of the NFL’s premier pass rushers offered another encouraging look at the development of the player New England drafted No. 4 overall in 2025.
Will Campbell Passes Another Major Test for Patriots
There was no mystery surrounding one of New England’s biggest challenges entering Sunday.
Watt had opened the season by terrorizing Atlanta, recording two sacks and returning an interception 35 yards for a touchdown. He arrived in Foxborough with a chance to wreck another game from the edge.
Campbell didn’t let that happen on his watch.
The matchup data is especially notable because Campbell entered his second NFL season with plenty to prove after an uneven rookie year. He started 13 regular-season games and all four of New England’s postseason games in 2025, establishing himself as Drake Maye’s left tackle.
His start to Year 2 suggests he may be ready for considerably more.
Through two games, Campbell owns an 84.4 pass-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus, which initially ranked fifth among qualifying tackles after the opener. PFF has charged him with five total pressures and one quarterback hit over 73 pass-blocking snaps this season.
Sunday was the type of matchup that provides a much better measuring stick than the raw numbers alone.
Watt is a former NFL Defensive Player of the Year and entered the afternoon coming off a two-sack performance. He still made his presence felt against New England, but Campbell’s ability to withstand his individual matchups was an important part of the bigger picture.
Campbell’s Development Could Be Huge for Drake Maye
The Patriots didn’t need an offensive masterpiece to beat Pittsburgh.
TreVeyon Henderson ripped off a 39-yard touchdown run, Maye finished with 208 passing yards and New England’s defense overwhelmed Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers. Pittsburgh managed only 235 total yards and went 2-for-12 on third down as the Patriots secured a 20-3 victory to improve to 1-1.
Still, what happened on Maye’s blind side could carry much greater significance beyond one September win.
New England invested the fourth overall pick in Campbell because it believed he could become a long-term answer at one of football’s most important positions.
Sunday offered another glimpse of what that could look like.
Watt finished with production. Pittsburgh finished with three sacks as a team. Nobody should mistake Campbell’s matchup numbers for a claim that the Steelers star disappeared for four quarters.
But when Campbell and Watt were matched up, the Patriots’ young left tackle answered the challenge.
For New England, that’s a development worth watching.
Will Campbell’s Numbers Against T.J. Watt Have Patriots Fans Buzzing