The New England Patriots are back in the AFC Championship Game after grinding out Sunday's win over the Houston Texans. It was another example of what the Patriots can accomplish with head coach Mike Vrabel steering the ship, leaving time to tell if they can overcome the Denver Broncos next weekend to punch a ticket to Super Bowl 60.
As fun as it is to ride the momentum, the reality is that the Patriots will need a complete effort to beat the Broncos, even if they're without quarterback Bo Nix. Denver has one of the most dynamic defenses in the NFL, and a lot of that success stems from an elite pass rush, which is why New England needs starting left tackle Will Campbell to be more of a solution than a problem.
Although he's been a reliable blocker for most of his rookie campaign, Campbell was anything but that on Sunday afternoon. The 2025 draft's fourth-overall pick was constantly getting burned by the Texans' defensive line, allowing a team-high five pressures (three hurries, two sacks) across 34 pass-blocking downs, per Pro Football Focus. This means he made QB Drake Maye's job tougher than it had to be on 14.7% of his opportunities.
Even if the NFL postseason is new territory for Campbell, he needs to be better than he has been, leaving the Patriots with quite the predicament before their trip to the Mile High City.
Will Campbell Is a Huge Patriots Concern Before AFC Championship Game
As the Patriots' starting LT, Campbell is tasked with the all-important job of protecting Maye's blindside. The second-year signal-caller has top-end mobility; however, it goes without saying that New England would prefer for Maye to have as much time as he needs. If he's constantly under pressure, mistake-filled performances like Sunday, where he ends up with four fumbles (two lost), can happen.
Of the Texans' 18 pressures, per PFF, defensive ends Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter finished with four pressures apiece. Those performances highlight how Campbell's shorter arms make it more difficult to deal with the NFL's elite disruptors. Sure, he can hold his own against ordinary pass rushers, but when it comes to the best of the best, Campbell crumbles.
If it were still the regular season, the Patriots might have enough time to help Campbell turn things around. But that's not the case. The Broncos are next on the menu after terrorizing the Buffalo Bills to the tune of 27 pressures (16 hurries, seven hits, four sacks) on Saturday night, which comes after leading the NFL with 68 sacks in the regular season — 11 more than the second-place Atlanta Falcons.
It's hard to imagine Maye and the Patriots' offense having much of a chance if Campbell is constantly his offensive linemates' worst enemy. At the same time, it's hard to imagine Vrabel benching him for the AFC Championship Game unless he truly believes Verderian Lowe and/or Thayer Munford Jr. would be that much of an improvement (they wouldn't be).
With that being said, the Patriots are locked into their current situation, left hoping that Campbell will figure things out before it's too late. If not, and he continues to do more harm than good against the insatiable Broncos pass rush, it might be worth considering if a transition from tackle to guard is in Campbell's future this offseason.