After knee injury, Patriots first-rounder didn’t feel like himself until AFC Championship Game

Story by

Story by
After knee injury, Patriots first-rounder didn’t feel like himself until AFC Championship Game

Chris Mason · MassLive

Tue, Feb 3, 2026 ·

2 min read

About Our Ads

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Will Campbell returned from an MCL injury as quickly as injured reserve rules permitted, but the Patriots rookie tackle said that didn’t mean he was 100% right away.

Carted off the turf on Nov. 23 in Cincinnati , Campbell was back on the practice field on New Year’s Eve. However, the first-rounder says it wasn’t until the AFC Championship Game in Denver that he really felt like himself again.

“I didn’t play for five weeks,” Campbell said at the Santa Clara Marriott on Tuesday. “When I did get hurt, I felt like I was playing pretty good ball. Obviously I was disappointed to get hurt. I just felt like last week was the first week that I felt like myself back out there. Just moving around, I had everything. My timing, everything down. I was just excited.”

That’s certainly welcome news for the Patriots , as Campbell had a full two weeks to rest up even more before facing a strong Seahawks front in Super Bowl 60.

BETTING:On DraftKings , Patriots moneyline is listed at +195 for their Super Bowl 60 meeting with the Seahawks. Our comprehensive DraftKings Sportsbook review shows you how to sign up and use their site. For all of the best Super Bowl odds , be sure to check out our expert takes.

Campbell’s first two postseason games were a tire pull. Against the Chargers and Texans, the rookie surrendered 10 pressures and four sacks, per Next Gen Stats. In the Denver snow, Campbell still allowed five pressures, but none resulted in a sack for Maye .

The rookie said Mike Vrabel and a number of others helped to keep his confidence up amid struggles.

“He’s great,” Campbell said. “It’s not easy to come back for an injury or get hurt in general, but not only Vrabes, all the coaches, all the training staff, my teammates were extremely helpful to me mentally. Just helping me get back and get prepared to go.”

More Patriots Content