The New England Patriots suffered a pair of monumental injuries in their ugly 26-20 win over the Bengals on Sunday, both to rookies. Starting left tackle Will Campbell, who's been a revelation on the offensive line, was placed on IR on Wednesday afternoon with an MCL sprain, while left guard Jared Wilson is likely to miss multiple weeks with a high ankle sprain. He has not been placed on IR, meaning the sprain may not be as bad as initially suspected.
Losing one lineman is tough, but to lose two is a real blow. When one of those players is the No. 4 pick and your left tackle, it's even worse. There's no doubt that ensuring the line is competent at the least will be key to New England's success over the next few weeks and into the playoffs, but do they have the horses to make up for their injury-induced holes?
While that will be the question the coaching staff and players will need to answer over the next few weeks, on the outside, they have the support in place to make it work.
Josh McDaniels is as experienced an offensive coordinator as they come, now in his third stint with New England. Former Patriot QB Brian Hoyer recognized McDaniels' experience as a reason the team won't have much trouble patching the line together.
"This is where you are thankful you have an experienced offensive coordinator who can be creative with the game plan moving forward... Josh has done this so many times before."
— WEEI (@WEEI) November 25, 2025
Josh McDaniels is the key to surviving the sudden rash of injuries.@bhoyer7 explains. pic.twitter.com/waCCtWG8bO
Josh McDaniels can help elevate this patchwork offensive line
The offensive line may not be in an ideal situation, but there are certainly ways McDaniels can leverage the team's strengths. In the run game, minimizing pitch plays to the left side seems like a strong idea, and using an extra lineman on deep play-action could provide more support. Hunter Henry's been known to chip pass rushers, and expect Rhamondre Stevenson to be involved as a blocker.
While the line isn't perfect, there is still some reason for hope. How exactly will they replace their two missing starters?
Starting with Wilson, the rookie has struggled since moving from his more natural center position at Georgia. He's allowed four sacks in twelve starts, and PFF grades him out at a 49.8, 68th among 81 qualifying guards. His run-blocking grade is the 75th-best.
Ben Brown, his replacement, played 667 snaps last year as a center, allowing five sacks and grading out to a 52.8 overall. He already stepped in for Wilson this season in Week 4, recording a 68.3 grade. While losing Wilson hurts his development, the Patriots may, oddly enough, be better off with Brown at left guard in the short term.
Vederian Lowe will start in Campbell's absence on Monday. Lowe was the 2024 starter, and in 803 snaps, he allowed only five sacks. The issue for Lowe was penalties: he had 13, four of which came in a Week 12 game against Miami.
Lowe is a sound pass blocker, with a 66.9 PFF grade in the pass game last season. Offering a chip would help slow rushers down, but he's a reasonably smooth operator when he isn't penalized. He allowed two pressures in 30 snaps against Cincinnati, a 6.7% pressure rate. Not ideal, but not terrible considering the circumstances. With a full week to prepare as the starter, Lowe should only improve.
It will no doubt be difficult for the Patriots' offensive line to hold up against a Giants' pass rush that features Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Abdul Carter, and Dexter Lawrence, but with McDaniels' creativity, the team should find ways to scheme protection and help New England move to 11-2.