LOUISIANA — Drake Maye didn’t do it alone in the Patriots’ 25-19 win over the Saints.
The young quarterback had a lot of help from his offensive line as he completed over 69% of his passes for 261 yards with three touchdowns and no turnovers. And protecting his blindside was 2025 fourth-overall pick Will Campbell in his return to Louisiana.
“It was super cool being able to come and play back home in my rookie season is pretty special,” Campbell said. “I grew up coming to games here. Played my first college game ever here, so getting to play here is pretty cool.”
Campbell had 60 friends and family in attendance at the Superdome, and he knows that other people from his town of Monroe, La., also had tickets for the game. Maye noticed Campbell, who also played collegiately at LSU, getting loud cheers as he ran off the field after the win.
Maye took just one 1-yard sack in the win over the Saints in another game where the Patriots’ offensive line and pass protection held up well.
“I think we did fine. There’s a lot to clean up,” Campbell said. “It didn’t go how we wanted it to in the second half, but we were still able to get the win. That’s what matters. It’s like coach says, it’s a good feeling when you feel like you have to correct a lot and still get a win. That means you’re not scratching the surface yet. We just have to go in, make the corrections, get better, fix what we did wrong, and just get ready for next week.”
Campbell wore a No. 7 patch, given to the team’s best playmakers, at LSU as a junior in 2024. Another player who wore No. 7 at LSU, Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte, said even last season, Campbell was texting him to try to persuade the Patriots to draft him.
“Throughout last year, he was texting me, telling me, ‘Please draft me here.’ He wanted to be here,” Boutte said. “Now that he’s here, it’s great. Great guy, great energy. I love it.”
The Patriots are 4-2 heading into next week’s game against the Titans in Tennessee.
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