Coming into the Patriots‘ Week 12 game in Cincinnati, one of the talking points around New England was just how fortunate the team had been when it came to health. The Patriots had a major injury to backup running back Antonio Gibson in Week 4 (ACL tear) but had been mostly healthy besides that, at least until Milton Williams hit the IR with an ankle sprain. And the, in the third quarter on Sunday, starting left tackle Will Campbell was carted off with a knee injury.
This was not the news that Patriots needed, not as they were slogging through a so-so performance against the Bengals, the team with the worst defense in the NFL. It was especially not the news the team needed in the wake of the injury to Jared Wilson, the team’s starting left guard.
Just like that, a stalwart unit that has been one of the engines of the team’s 9-2 start has been severely debilitated.
Will Campbell Carted Off
The concerns around Campbell could change the trajectory of the Patriots season. The No. 4 pick in last year’s NFL draft, Campbell had not only earned the starting job, but had gradually gotten better each week and was establishing himself as one of the better left tackles in the NFL.
On the play where Campbell was injured, he was attempting to block in space and appeared to have his right knee undercut from the side. Campbell immediately called out in pain. There’s hope for a speedy recovery of course, and Campbell was initially ruled questionable, but the injury appeared to be serious.
Patriots O-Line Ranked in Top 10, Led by Will Campbell
This week at Pro Football Focus, which ranks offensive lines after each game, the Patriots had moved all the way up to No. 9, a big move for a team that was No. 32 last year. Will Campbell was a big reason for that.
As the site wrote: “New England’s offensive line handled its assignment in the team’s Week 11 win over the New York Jets. The unit surrendered eight pressures but no sacks across 37 pass plays, earning an 89.2 PFF pass-blocking efficiency rating (10th best).
“Rookie Jared Wilson played one of the best games of his young career. New England’s left guard did not allow a single pressure against the Jets on his way to an 84.5 PFF pass-blocking grade, which led the Patriots and ranked fifth among guards in Week 11.”
Patriots’ Vrabel Talked About Health
There was some eerie foreshadowing of the mess the Patriots line now finds itself in, as Patriots coach Mike Vrabel was asked about health during the week.
Said Vrabel: “These things kind of come and go. There are gonna be some injuries we are just not going to be able to avoid. I tell everybody, the injury rate in the NFL is 100%. Play long enough, you are guaranteed to get hurt.
“I think the biggest thing is, when injuries happen, that players do everything they can to get back and it’s a testament to them, it’s a testament to the training staff and the strength and conditioning staff, that they can get them back in a short amount of time. I am not going to sit here and say there is a magical formula. There just is not.”
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