FOXBOROUGH, Mass., Oct. 13, 2026 — Sunday’s 45-17 rout of the Las Vegas Raiders was the cleanest, loudest win of the Patriots’ season. Drake Maye accounted for five touchdowns, the lead got so big that Las Vegas turned to rookie Fernando Mendoza in the fourth quarter, and the crowd at Gillette Stadium got to salute the 2001 champions on the 25th anniversary of the franchise’s first title. Then came Monday, and the bill for the blowout: New England’s starting left tackle and its most explosive young running back are both banged up, and a 21-year-old rookie may be the man protecting Maye’s blind side when the Jets come to town on Sunday.

What happened to Will Campbell

Campbell, the second-year left tackle the Patriots drafted fourth overall in 2025, went down in the first half when Rhamondre Stevenson was driven backward into his right leg. He walked off under his own power, spent time with the medical staff, went to the locker room and even tested the knee on a stationary bike on the sideline. He did not return after halftime, and the team ruled him out for the rest of the game.

That right knee is the same one that cost him four games last season with a sprained MCL, which is why every update this week matters.

Confirmed vs. reported

It is worth being precise here, because the early reporting and the coach’s tone have not lined up perfectly.

• Confirmed by the team: Campbell (knee) and running back TreVeyon Henderson (ankle) both left Sunday’s game and did not return. On Monday, head coach Mike Vrabel would not put a timeline on either player. He called Campbell day-to-day, said the club would see how he responded through the week, and pointed to Wednesday’s practice as the first real checkpoint. He said Henderson is likely in a similar spot and would probably be limited Wednesday if he practices.
• Reported, not confirmed: On Sunday night, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that the Patriots believe Campbell suffered a knee sprain and that he is likely to miss some time, with an MRI scheduled for Monday. The Patriots have not announced MRI results, and Vrabel said Monday he was not sure the scan had been completed when he spoke.

“We’ll take it day by day,” Vrabel told reporters, a line that is both coach-speak and, for now, the most honest description of where things stand.

Enter Caleb Lomu

If Campbell can’t go, the job falls to Caleb Lomu, the Patriots’ first pick in April’s draft. New England traded up to take him 28th overall out of Utah, where he played left tackle, and he is only 21. Many fans pictured him as the long-term successor to veteran right tackle Morgan Moses, not as an emergency left tackle in Week 6.

His first extended look was encouraging. Lomu played the rest of Sunday’s game on the left side, and Pro Football Focus charted him at 29 pass-blocking snaps with no sacks, no quarterback hits and a single pressure allowed, per Boston.com. Vrabel said the rookie was able to settle down and anchor against power rushes as the game went on. That is a fine debut against a Raiders team that had packed it in by the fourth quarter. The Jets will be a different test, starting with rookie edge rusher David Bailey, who will be eager to see how a first-year tackle handles speed off the edge.

The rest of the injury picture

The offensive line has been shuffled throughout the first month-plus of the season, and Campbell’s knee adds another layer. The good news is on the other side of the ball’s ledger: wide receiver A.J. Brown, out since a high ankle sprain in the Week 1 Super Bowl LX rematch, is now eligible to come off injured reserve. Asked whether Brown might play against the Jets, Vrabel allowed that there is a chance. Getting a No. 1 receiver back in the same week the line loses its left tackle would be a fair trade for Maye, who was at his best on Sunday when the pocket stayed clean.

At running back, Henderson’s ankle bears watching. Stevenson played through his own bumps last week, and the Patriots’ ground game has been a big reason Maye has been able to work off play action.

Why this week matters

The Patriots are 3-2 and back at Gillette for a second straight week. A division game at home, against a Jets team that will try to make a rookie tackle’s afternoon miserable, is exactly the kind of matchup that decides where a 3-2 team ends up. Win, and New England is 4-2 with a growing sense that the offense can handle adversity. Lose, and the conversation shifts to whether this roster is deep enough up front to survive the long season.

Boston’s Take

Protect the quarterback, protect the season. Maye’s five-touchdown day was not an accident; it was what happens when a young quarterback gets time. The single most important job for the coaching staff this week is making sure that stays true without Campbell. Expect more chip help from tight ends and running backs on Lomu’s side, quicker throws and a heavier dose of the run to keep Bailey honest.

Don’t rush the knee. Campbell is a cornerstone, not a one-week rental. With last year’s MCL sprain on the same side, the smart play is patience. A 21-year-old first-round pick getting real snaps in October is not a disaster; it is an investment that could pay off in December.

Lomu’s moment. Teams find out who their young players are in weeks like this. If Lomu holds up against the Jets, the Patriots will have learned something valuable about their 2026 draft, and their future line, much earlier than planned.

Talk it over

• Should the Patriots sit Campbell against the Jets even if he is cleared to play, given his history with that knee?
• What is the bigger swing factor on Sunday: Lomu’s protection or A.J. Brown’s possible return?
• Is Lomu’s long-term future at left tackle, right tackle or guard?

Sources

• Transcript: Head Coach Mike Vrabel Press Conference 10/12 — Patriots.com
• Mike Vrabel provides updates on A.J. Brown’s, Will Campbell’s injuries ahead of Jets matchup — Boston 25 News
• The pressure is going to be on Patriots rookie Caleb Lomu — Boston.com
• Patriots 45, Raiders 17: live coverage and recap — Boston.com
• Patriots don’t get positive initial update on Will Campbell’s knee injury — Sports Illustrated
• Mike Vrabel gives update on Will Campbell’s injury status — Newsweek

Featured image: AI-generated illustration (DeepAI). Boston Made is not affiliated with the New England Patriots or the NFL.

BOSTON, Oct. 12, 2026 — Two weeks ago the Bruins handed David Pastrnak the “C.” On Thursday night at TD Garden, he played like a man who wanted everyone to know why. Pastrnak scored twice, set up two more, and Boston buried the Utah Mammoth 6-1 in a game that was effectively over by the first intermission.

Six goals, six different storylines

Boston scored three in the first period and three more in the second. The goals came from all over the lineup:

• Casey Mittelstadt opened the scoring at 10:06 of the first, his first of the season.
• Pastrnak struck on the power play, with rookie defenseman Frederic Brunet picking up the first point of his NHL career.
• Mason Lohrei scored about a minute later, chasing Utah starter Sebastian Cossa from the net.
• Pastrnak added his second at 4:40 of the second, set up by Morgan Geekie.
• Geekie then scored on the power play at 7:57, finishing with a goal and two assists.
• Matt Poitras capped it, his first of the year, with Pastrnak drawing the assist.

The special teams told the rest of it: a 3-for-4 power play and a perfect 7-for-7 penalty kill. In net, Jeremy Swayman made 36 saves, losing his shutout only to Jack McBain at 9:48 of the third.

The captain’s résumé

Pastrnak became the 28th captain in Bruins history on September 27, following a line that includes Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and Zdeno Chara. He entered his 13th NHL season with 420 goals and 933 points in 833 games, all in black and gold, coming off a 100-point season (29 goals, 71 assists), his fourth straight. Bergeron’s No. 37 goes to the rafters in December, a reminder of the standard the letter on Pastrnak’s sweater now carries.

After the game he kept it measured: “The season is so long, and you’re going to go through ups and downs.”

Boston’s Take

This is what a captain looks like in October. Not a speech. Four points, a rookie’s first point on his stick, and a power play that finally clicked. Leadership in Boston has always been measured on the ice first.

The depth is the real headline. Mittelstadt, Lohrei, Geekie and Poitras all scored their first goals of the year in one night. If this team gets secondary scoring every week, the conversation changes fast.

Swayman steals the quiet stat. Thirty-six saves in a blowout is how you keep blowouts from becoming close games. That is the kind of night that does not show up in the highlights but wins you points in March.

It was also a big weekend across the city: the Patriots rolled the Raiders 45-17 on Sunday, and the Celtics set a preseason scoring record Friday. Boston sports in October rarely feels this good.

Talk it over

• Is Pastrnak a “lead by example” captain or a “lead by voice” captain, and which does this team need?
• Which first-goal scorer from Thursday becomes a 20-goal player this year?
• How many games should Swayman start this season?

Sources

• Pastrnak posts four points in Bruins’ 6-1 win over Mammoth — NHL.com/Bruins
• Bruins name David Pastrnak 28th captain in team history — NHL.com/Bruins, Sept. 27, 2026

Featured image: AI-generated illustration (DeepAI). Boston Made is not affiliated with the Boston Bruins or the NHL.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass., Oct. 11, 2026 — Drake Maye accounted for five touchdowns and the New England Patriots ran away from the Las Vegas Raiders 45-17 on Sunday at Gillette Stadium, moving to 3-2 and stacking a second straight win.

Maye threw four touchdown passes and ran for a fifth, a 3-yard scramble on an option play. DeMario Douglas caught two of the scores, including a 35-yard strike that opened the game, and Hunter Henry added another. Rhamondre Stevenson punched in a 5-yard run and Andy Borregales added a field goal as New England turned a 7-7 first quarter into a blowout.

How it happened

• Fast start: Maye hit Douglas for 35 yards to cap a five-play, 76-yard opening drive.
• Las Vegas answered: Kirk Cousins found Brock Bowers for a 13-yard touchdown to tie it at 7.
• Then it was all New England. The Patriots scored on drive after drive, and the lead grew to 28 points by the fourth quarter.
• Big plays: Kyle Williams added a 49-yard catch, and Elijah Ponder had two sacks, giving him a team-leading 3.5 for the season.

By the numbers

• 5 total touchdowns for Drake Maye (4 passing, 1 rushing)
• 2 touchdown catches for DeMario Douglas
• 19 of 28 for 243 yards and a touchdown for Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins
• 3-2 Patriots record after Week 5

Mendoza makes his debut

With the game out of reach, the Raiders turned to rookie Fernando Mendoza, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, for his first NFL action in the fourth quarter. Dylan Laube ran in a 2-yard touchdown and Matt Gay kicked a field goal for Las Vegas.

The injury watch

The win came with worries. Left tackle Will Campbell (knee) and running back TreVeyon Henderson (ankle) were both ruled out during the game, and the severity of Campbell’s injury was not immediately known. Caleb Lomu stepped in at left tackle. Stevenson and Christian Barmore, both listed as questionable before kickoff, played.

A day for the 2001 team

Before kickoff, the Patriots honored the 2001 team that won the franchise’s first Super Bowl, marking the championship’s 25th anniversary. “We got a good squad,” Maye said afterward.

What’s next

New England stays home next week to host the New York Jets.

Boston Made Newsroom sports coverage is written by our team from public game reports and box scores. Follow every Boston story in the Boston Made Reader.