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Patriots activate standouts Will Campbell, Milton Williams ahead of regular-season finale
Both Campbell and Williams have been on injured reserve over the last month.
The Patriots are getting some reinforcements in their final game before the postseason.
Left tackle Will Campbell and defensive tackle Milton Williams will be activated off injured reserve ahead of Sunday’s game against the Dolphins, the team announced Saturday. Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel indicated that the two players were likely to be activated for Sunday’s game when he spoke with reporters on Friday.
“We’ll see how they respond to today’s work. Try to get them a full week of work in, but I think it looks good,” Vrabel said. “Both of them were able to work the whole week, and we’ll see where we’re at tomorrow.”
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The potential returns of Campbell and Williams are certainly a boost for a 13-3 Patriots team that’s already clinched a division title. Williams has been sidelined with an ankle injury since the Patriots’ Week 11 win over the Jets, but returned to practice ahead of their second victory over the Jets this season last week. As for Campbell, he’s been out since he suffered an MCL sprain in the Patriots’ Week 12 win over the Bengals. Campbell began practicing again earlier this week.
New England felt Williams’s absence in a hard way, even if it went 4-1 in the five games he’s missed to this point. They’ve only logged seven sacks in their last five games, while their opponents have rushed for 734 yards on five yards per carry over that stretch. Buffalo’s James Cook, Baltimore’s Derrick Henry, and New York’s Breece Hall have all recorded 100-yard days on the ground against New England with Williams out.
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Williams, who was one of the NFL’s best defensive tackles at generating pressure prior to his injury, had proven to be a key part of the Patriots’ defense in his first year with the team. His 14 percent pass-rush win rate was the third-best at the position at the time of his injury, and his 35 pressures are the second-most among defensive tackles, per Pro Football Focus (PFF). Williams also has 3.5 sacks and 27 total tackles this season.
The Patriots didn’t see as steep a drop-off at left tackle following Campbell’s injury. Vederian Lowe largely gave the Patriots adequate play at the position over the last four games, allowing one sack and 13 pressures in that stretch, per PFF. For reference, Campbell had allowed five sacks and 25 pressures in 12 games, according to PFF.
New England has actually rushed the ball better over the last four games than it did with Campbell this season. However, running back TreVeyon Henderson’s two long touchdown runs in the Patriots’ Week 15 loss to the Bills skew those numbers a bit. In the other three games without Campbell, the Patriots rushed for 3.9 yards per carry, which was what they averaged in the 12 games they’ve had their starting left tackle this season.
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As for other injury updates, linebacker Robert Spillane will miss his fourth straight game, essentially, on Sunday. Spillane, who is the Patriots’ leading tackler, was back at practice for the first time on Friday since he was on the sideline for the entirety of the Patriots’ Week 15 loss to the Bills with an ankle injury.
“Just trying to get him to return to play, and he felt good enough to go out there and do a little bit of work in a limited fashion,” Vrabel said of Spillane. “So, I think that was positive and excited that he’s feeling better.”
Edge rusher Harold Landry (knee), defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga (foot), and left guard Jared Wilson (concussion protocol) will also miss Sunday’s game. Fullback Jack Westover is questionable with an ankle injury.
The Patriots already have the AFC East locked up and are 11.5-point favorites over the seven-win Dolphins for Sunday’s game. But a win and a Broncos loss to the Chargers would mean that the Patriots would get the AFC’s No. 1 seed.
Even if New England doesn’t get the No. 1 seed and the first-round bye that comes with it, playing Campbell and Williams on Sunday would at least allow two key players to shed some rust ahead of postseason play.
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