New England Patriots left tackle Will Campbell walked past reporters multiple times Sunday night without saying a word, declining to address what happened during one of the worst individual performances by an offensive lineman all season.
Campbell allowed 14 quarterback pressures in the Patriots’ 29-13 Super Bowl loss to Seattle, according to Next Gen Stats. That’s the most pressures surrendered by any player in a single game this season — regular season or playoffs combined.
Boston Globe reporter Ben Volin noted that while most Patriots players stopped to take questions after the loss, Campbell declined multiple times before leaving Levi’s Stadium.
Seattle’s pass rush targeted Campbell’s side from the opening drive. Derick Hall set the tone early, driving him backward and sacking Drake Maye on Seattle’s first big defensive stand. It didn’t stop there. Hall, Byron Murphy, and Leonard Williams combined for five sacks, and the pressure rarely let up. Time and again, the quickest path to Maye ran straight through the left tackle spot.
According to ESPN Analytics — coming into Sunday’s game — Campbell ranked 29th out of 30 qualified tackles this postseason in Pass Block Win Rate at 83.6%. Seattle clearly saw the vulnerability and attacked it relentlessly, turning Campbell’s side of the line into the focal point of its defensive plan.
To be fair, the Patriots’ protection issues went beyond one player. Maye was sacked 21 times over four playoff games, the most of any quarterback in a single postseason. But Sunday was different, even if Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel refused to single out Campbell afterward.
“Sacks are — that’s a team number,” Vrabel said.
That’s true, in theory. In reality, Seattle kept getting home from the same place all night.
Campbell’s decision to avoid the media doesn’t help his case. Emotions run high after Super Bowl losses, and Campbell was likely embarrassed about letting his team down on football’s biggest stage. That’s understandable. But part of being a professional — particularly a top 5 pick entrusted with protecting the franchise quarterback’s blindside — is facing the music.
The same player who said on draft night that he would “die” for Drake Maye wasn’t available to explain what happened when Maye needed protection the most.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.