Patriots LT Will Campbell responds to criticism after Super Bowl LX loss

Patriots left tackle Will Campbell received heavy criticism for his performance in New England’s 29-13 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl. On Tuesday, Campbell addressed the wave of disapproval he’s received from fans.

“It comes with the job. When you don’t perform, obviously, I was (drafted) high, paid a lot. So people expect a certain thing, and I expect more of myself,” Campbell said, per Bobby Kownack. “So whenever I don’t perform, I don’t expect everyone to be like, ‘It’s OK, buddy.’ I mean, obviously it sucks. But it doesn’t suck for anyone more than it sucks for me.”

In the loss, Campbell allowed 14 quarterback pressures, tied for the most by any offensive lineman in a playoff game since 2018. Campbell officially only allowed one sack, but he struggled to keep his opponent out of the Patriots’ backfield all game.

Campbell’s lackluster showing may have been due to injury. Campbell suffered a knee injury in Week 12 and missed four games before returning for the Patriots’ regular-season finale. On Tuesday, Campbell admitted he wasn’t fully healthy for the postseason.

This unfortunate reality showed up in the Patriots’ run. Campbell allowed 29 pressures throughout the playoffs. For reference, he gave up just 51 pressures in his 13 regular-season appearances. Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel defended his rookie tackle amid mass criticism.

“You get judged. You get scrutinized,” Vrabel said. “Will’s 22 years old. He’s our left tackle. He’ll get better. He’ll get stronger. Moments where he played well, moments where he blocked a guy, there’s plays he’d like to have back, but we’re not moving Will to guard or to center or to tight end or to anywhere else.”

Though the Patriots were unable to lift the Super Bowl trophy, Campbell’s impact on the team can’t be understated. As a true rookie, he anchored New England’s offensive line and was key in quarterback Drake Maye‘s spectacular sophomore campaign. Maye certainly isn’t blaming Campbell for the loss.

“It’s a pleasure going out there with Will every time,” Maye said. “He’s gonna be a great player in this league. He already is a great player in this league.”

With a full offseason to recover, Will Campbell will have plenty of time to get back to full strength. It appears he already has a plan to come back better than ever next season.

“I slept on it, I watched it,” Campbell said. “I know what I got to get better at and I’ll move on.”