It's very rare to find bright spots in a stinker of a loss like the New England Patriots had at home Sunday against Pittsburgh, but rookie left tackle Will Campbell was one of them.
Facing one of the NFL's best defensive fronts in the Steelers, Campbell more than held his own, and continues to prove that the Patriots made the right decision by taking him fourth overall in last spring's NFL draft.
Campbell's stats were impressive considering he was facing the likes of Cameron Heyward and T.J. Watt, as he didn't allow any sacks on 47 passing snaps and just seven pressures.
#Patriots LT Will Campbell against the Steelers (via @NextGenStats):
— Carlos A. Lopez (@LosTalksPats) September 21, 2025
🔹47 Passing Snaps
🔹7 Pressures
🔹0 Sacks Allowed
🔹87.2% 1-on-1 Win Percentage pic.twitter.com/ORwodF2G75
Will Campbell's growth continues to be a shining light for Patriots
The Patriots' offensive line was a mess last year, there's no doubt about that. It was an area the organization clearly needed to rectify if second-year quarterback Drake Maye was going to have any sort of growth. It's hard to do that when you're constantly under pressure.
While Maye did take a few untimely sacks on Sunday, including a strip-sack that led to Pittsburgh's winning touchdown, that was one you can't blame Campbell on. That was a coverage sack in which the wide receivers did a poor job of creating separation. The defense subsequently let the Patriots down by letting the Steelers drive down the field for the winning score.
Perhaps the one stat that jumps out to me is Campbell's one-on-one battles. The biggest knock on him coming out of college was his arm length, and there were questions about whether that would hinder his success as an NFL left tackle.
But against Pittsburgh, Campbell won a whopping 87.2 percent of his one-on-one battles. Against a tough defensive front, that's something that New England's rookie left tackle can build on. Over his first three games, Campbell has faced two of the league's top pass rushers in Watt and Maxx Crosby and has held up quite nicely.
Campbell can only get better from here, and that's great news for a Patriots' organizaton that has had a poor offensive line for the last few seasons.