A 26-20 victory for the New England Patriots over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday came with a steep price tag. The Patriots 2025 first-round selection and fan-favorite Will Campbell was carted off with a knee injury, but he wasn’t the only offensive lineman to exit the game.
Fellow rookie Jared Wilson was also a casualty of a gritty win for the Pats, and has been diagnosed with a high-ankle sprain.
Although most high-ankle sprains carry a designation of 4-6 weeks of recovery, Rapaport confirmed reports that Wilson is only on a week-to-week basis and isn’t being placed on injured reserve. An IR designation would require Wilson to miss a minimum of four weeks, so the fact that they are reluctant to designate him is a good sign that he could miss less time than expected.
The former Georgia standout and third-round selection has shown growing pains in his rookie season, but has still managed to provide an upgrade for New England from last season, along with what is an entirely new offensive line.
Fellow O-lineman Morgan Moses also suffered an injury during the game, but only missed a few snaps.
Filling Wilson and Campbell’s Spots on the Line
With both Wilson and Campbell doubtful for next Monday’s game against the New York Giants, the Patriots will have to turn to Vederian Lowe and Ben Brown on the left side of the offensive line. The two filled in for Wilson and Campbell after they left Sunday’s game.
Lowe is in his third season with the Patriots. He started 8 and 13 games in 2023 and 2024, but hasn’t made a start yet this season. Similarly, Brown started 10 games for New England last season, but has barely seen the field in 2025.
Though the Patriots offensive line has been an improvement from last season, they are still ranked 27th out of 32 teams according to Pro Football Network. That sounds bad, but even that ranking is an improvement from what was a true dumpster fire in 2024.
With Campbell and Wilson both likely to miss time, filling those spots with two guys who were mainstays during a bad year for the Pats line isn’t a great sign for future success at the position this season. QB Drake Maye will need to rely on his ability to get the ball out quickly and/or evade pressure, which is likely to increase with the injury bug hitting the line.
New England Improves to 10-2, Occupies No. 1 Seed In AFC
With the Patriots picking up a win in Cincinnati, the Denver Broncos on a bye week, and the Indianapolis Colts falling in OT to the Kansas City Chiefs, New England now owns the No. 1 seed in the AFC after week 12. It has been a tremendous turnaround after a 4-13 season in 2024.
With the Buffalo Bills once again faltering in a loss to the Houston Texans, New England now has a 93.3 percent chance to win the AFC East for the first time since 2019. With just five games remaining in the regular season, and three of them coming against the Giants, Dolphins, and Jets, the Patriots have given themselves a real chance to claim a playoff bye if they can get to 13 or 14 wins.
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