The New England Patriots gift-wrapped a nice win away to the Pittsburgh Steelers at home in Gillette Stadium, 21-14, in Week 3 of the season. It was an early Christmas present for the worst Steelers team seen in these parts in ages. It was a winnable game that was turned into a loss by a Patriots team more than willing to give away the ball to Pittsburgh five times.
There were lots of negatives in this loss, that started (and ended?) with five turnovers, including two from fumble-prone running back Rhamondre Stevenson. In this game, he was joined by his replacement, Antonio Gibson, who also coughed up the ball. It's a new coughing version of the Foxborough flu that showed up early this fall.
Regardless, it's always nice to find (if you can) a silver lining in a truly terrible loss by the New England Patriots. While the emphasis is on the result, there were still some positives to glean from this debacle at Gillette Stadium. And one of them was a rookie who's on his way to stardom.
The Patriots had some solid performances, one was from a terrific rookie
A few Patriots shone in the washout game against the Steelers. One was tight end Hunter Henry. He had eight catches for 90 yards and two touchdowns. Another was Robert Spillane, who finally showed why he was signed to a sizeable free agent contract in the offseason. He had 15 total stops and an interception. One rookie among others also shined and it bodes well for the team's future overall.
On the rookie side, there's no doubt one player stands out. It was fourth-overall, first-round pick, Will Campbell. Observers usually note plays by skill players on offense and big playmakers on defense who notch key sacks, interceptions, or fumble recoveries that turn games around.
Yet, one unit that's often overlooked is the offensive line, though it's the most important unit on the entire team.
For the Patriots, one rookie O-lineman who came to the team with a lot of fanfare as its fourth-overall draft pick is already measuring up. It's Will Campbell, the left tackle from LSU. Campbell entered the league as Pro Football Focus's top tackle in the draft. Thus far, he's possibly even exceeding those expectations.
Will Campbell excelled against the Pittsburgh Steelers
Patriots young left tackle, Will Campbell, had already received solid attention for his play in just his second game in the NFL against the Miami Dolphins.
Pro Football Focus had signaled him out for a nice compliment after just his first two NFL games.
"Campbell played 31 pass-blocking snaps against the Dolphins and did not give up a single pressure, earning an 81.3 PFF pass-blocking grade for his efforts....Campbell holds the 10th-best PFF pass-blocking grade (77.7, first among rookies), and his 4.8% allowed pressure rate ranks fourth among rookie tackles."
In his third game, against Pittsburgh, Campbell experienced some rookie struggles, however, which sum up the rookie experience in the NFL.
Patriots O-line vs. Steelers
— Mark Daniels (@ByMarkDaniels) September 22, 2025
Campbell: 2 sacks, 2 hits
Moses: sack, hit
Drake/Team/Coverage: 2 sacks, hit
- Campbell had some struggles against Nick Herbig. Although Drake needed to go down on his strip sack, Campbell also stopped blocking his guy. Not sure what happened there
Campbell experienced some negatives against the Steelers' Nick Herbig. Another major issue was coverage sacks when Patriots' receivers aren't getting open, another issue altogether. As with any rookie, there are going to be blips in the road. Yet, while he had lapses, Campbell still turned in a decent showing as he continues his adjustment to the NFL. He plays on an island, and any mistakes are magnified if he has a lapse on any given play.
Will Campbell is already showing the wisdom of Mike Vrabel's picking him as his first-ever draft pick for the New England Patriots. He took the best tackle in the draft for a reason, and it's paying dividends. Campbell is the foundational piece of a future top Patriots offensive line.