Will Campbell knows exactly what he’s up against in Patriots matchup with Texans

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Will Campbell knows exactly what he’s up against in Patriots matchup with Texans

Mark Daniels · MassLive

Wed, Jan 14, 2026 ·

3 min read

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FOXBOROUGH – Will Campbell understands the challenge that’s ahead of him in this weekend’s AFC divisional matchup with the Houston Texans .

That’s because he first experienced it when he was an 18-year-old true freshman at LSU.

In 2022, his first collegiate season, Campbell faced off with a handful of future NFL pass rushers. In his tenth start, the freshman faced off against Alabama and two-time consensus All-American Will Anderson .

Now a rookie with the Patriots , the starting left tackle will once again face off against Anderson in Sunday’s playoff game.

“Yeah, he’s a talented player,” Campbell said. “I played him, Jared Verse , and Jalen Carter all my freshman year at 18 years old. That’s three really talented players in this league. Great learning experience for me. He’s a really talented player.”

Anderson was the best defensive player in college football during his last two seasons at Alabama. He finished with 17.5 sacks as a sophomore and then had 10 sacks his junior year.

During Campbell’s freshman year, LSU beat Alabama, 32-31, in overtime. Anderson recorded one sack in that game.

The next year, the Texans made him the No. 3 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, and he’s been an instant playmaker. Anderson was the Defensive Rookie of the Year, and this season, earned his second Pro Bowl honor to go with being named a first-team All-Pro.

Anderson has a career-high 12 sacks this season and is part of one of the best pass-rush duos in the NFL with Danielle Hunter (15 sacks).

“They’re two of the best in the game at what they do. They play extremely hard – high motors,” Campbell said. “And that’s their entire defense. Their linebackers fly around, DBs fly around. This is a physical group. I think their coach preaches the same thing (Mike Vrabel) does. It shows on tape the way they play the game on offense and defense. We’ve got to have a good week in practice and be prepared because it’s going to be a challenge.”

During Campbell’s college career, he allowed four sacks in three seasons. The left tackle allowed just two sacks in two years after that matchup against Anderson as a freshman. Pro Football Focus has the rookie down for a sack last weekend against the Los Angeles Chargers .

The rookie said he’s excited to match up with Anderson and the talented Texans defense.

“It’s what you come to the NFL for,” Campbell said. “It’s what you want – to be in these types of games. It’s not going to be pretty. It’s not going to be easy, but you’ve got to find a way to scratch and claw to come out with a victory.”

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