For the Patriots, the goal coming into Week 12 was to get out of Cincinnati with a win and become the first NFL team this year to hit 10 wins on the season. They managed that, with a 26-20 grind past the Bengals that wasn’t really settled until a late Cincinnati drive stalled on the Patriots’ 26-yard line with 23 seconds to play.
But the win was a costly one. Not only did the Patriots stumble and play a less-than-stellar 60 minutes, but the entire left side of the team’s offensive line went out, with rookie guard Jared Wilson suffering an ankle injury, followed by what could be a devastating knee injury for No. 4 overall pick Will Campbell, who took a hit from the side and was having his ACL and PCL checked on the field before he was carted to the locker room.
The two, especially Campbell, had been playing their best football lately, adding some extra sting to their injuries. Ben Brown came on at guard, and Vederian Lowe filled in at tackle.
Patriots’ Will Campbell Vowed to ‘Die’ for Drake Maye
One of the memorable moments coming from the aftermath of the Patriots’ 2025 draft was Campbell vowing that he would “fight and die” to protect Drake Maye this season. It didn’t quite come to that, but for Maye, there was a lot of emotion in the wake of the win, for both Campbell and Wilson.
“I love those guys, man,” Maye said. “They’re gonna be all right. That’s the thing about those guys is, they are going to work hard and they are going to come back. They’ve done such a good job for us this year. I love those guys. Will and Jared have meant a lot to me. Got to know them in different ways.
“It hurts. I am disappointed. But that’s this game. That’s life. They will bounce back and help us down the road.”
Will Campbell, Jared Wilson Had Hit Their Strides
There’s still much to be sorted out with both Wilson and Campbell. As yet, the Patriots do not know for sure that Campbell has ligament damage, and they won’t reveal the extent of Wilson’s injury yet, either.
But it’s not ideal. Last week, Pro Football Focus rated the Patriots’ offensive line the No. 9 group in the league, a remarkable rise for a unit that was 32nd in 2024. Maye fell back on the mantra of the NFL, though–next man up.
“That is what this league is about,” he said. “Just battling adversity. … Just battle back, that next drive, just trying to have a next-play mentality. That’s what coach is preaching all the time. Battling back from good plays, battling back from bad plays. I am proud of our defense for stepping up, they stepped up big time. Like I said, it’s next man up. We had a lot of guys come in and help us out.”
Patriots Missing Jalani Tavai
The Patriots also were missing linebacker Jalani Tavai on Sunday, who was out for personal reasons. The team did a video call from the locker room with Tavai after the win, and rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson said that Tavai’s situation and the injuries to his fellow rookies are a reminder that football players are just people, too.
“Man this team has been through a lot,” Henderson said. “I think a lot of times, people can look at us as athletes as if everything is perfect in our lives. As if we got it all figured out. But we don’t. We’re people who go through things like everyone else. We’re people who struggle like everyone else as well. I wish people could see that more. But it’s kind of hard when people just see us as football players. We’re humans like everybody else. We’re not better than others.
“I am praying for those guys, Jalani and his lady. And just Will, Jared, all the guys who got injured today.”
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