The players Patriots fans should be most nervous about in Super Bowl LX

Every player who steps out on the field in the Super Bowl will be under immense pressure. It's the biggest game of most of these players' football careers, a game where legends are created but also where one bad play can rewrite the entire narrative of you as an NFL player.

There are players who we know can handle the pressure. If you're a New England Patriots fan, you already know some of your best defenders are up for the task. Christian Gonzalez? Milton Williams? Robert Spillane? Those guys are going to get their jobs done. There are other players, though, who fans should be a little nervous about heading into Super Bowl LX.

OT Will Campbell

Can a rookie left tackle hold up against a Seahawks pass rush that features DeMarcus Lawrence? That might be the biggest question of the entire Super Bowl.

Campbell was solid as a rookie. PFF graded him as the 32nd-best tackle out of 89 qualifying players, which is fine. He wasn't elite or anything, but for a rookie, that's a pretty good grade.

But Campbell has struggled in the postseason, with his recovery from an MCL injury playing a key role in that. Hurt back in late November against the Bengals, Campbell wasn't himself in the first two playoff games, giving up 10 pressures and four sacks. He still struggled at preventing pressure against Denver, but didn't give up a sack.

Now, the Patriots have to hope that another two weeks to heal up have Campbell back at 100 percent, because they can't afford to have the guy who's given up this many pressures out there in the Super Bowl. Seattle's pass rush would eat him up and force Drake Maye into some rough situations, which would be bad news for the Patriots, especially when you factor in the next section of this article.

WRs not named Stefon Diggs

Both teams playing in the Super Bowl roster a lockdown corner who will be tasked with stopping each team's elite wide receiver. That's going to put added pressure on the other wide receivers in the game. Seattle has Cooper Kupp and thus should be in a decent spot, but New England's options outside of Diggs are shaky. Look at their regular-season numbers:

Now, I don't think any of these players are "bad." All four players listed above have upside and have shown that upside at various times, but this isn't just some random regular-season game. It's the Super Bowl, and I can't say with 100 percent confidence that I believe any one particular guy from that list is going to be able to step up in a spot like this.

If one does, look for it to be Boutte, the only Patriots receiver with over 100 receiving yards in this postseason. He also had just one catch for six yards against the Broncos, though, so...that's concerning, I suppose.

S Craig Woodson

The Patriots have a strong secondary, but the fact that their starting strong safety is a fourth-round rookie has to raise at least some alarms.

Craig Woodson ranked just 53rd among safeties in overall PFF grade this season and was notably better against the run than against the pass. He's shown massive improvement in the postseason — he's actually PFF's top-graded safety in the playoffs — but with the pressure intensifying in the Super Bowl, will Woodson be able to hold up, or will Sam Darnold try to target him in hopes that the rookie falters in a big moment?

QB Drake Maye

I mean, look...Drake Maye was very, very good in 2025. He's an MVP finalist. He just led his team to the Super Bowl. He's the kind of quarterback you want under center for your team.

With that said, he's also a second-year quarterback who is about to play the biggest game of his life and who comes in off a couple of disappointing playoff games. If I'm a New England fan, I feel good about Maye, but I also feel a little worried, you know?

Just look at these last two games. Against the Texans, Maye struggled for much of the game to move the football. He led three touchdown drives, but the drives outside of that one all stalled out quickly, and if that game hadn't featured a C.J. Stroud disaster class, this Patriots' run might have ended.

Then came the AFC Championship Game against the Broncos. Weather was a major factor, as heavy snow in the second half contributed to Maye going 10-for-21 for 86 yards. Still, Jarrett Stidham played better than that minus one interception, so I wouldn't fully excuse that showing, though Maye did rush for a touchdown.

Maye might be totally fine in the Super Bowl, but Patriots fans have to at least have a voice in the back of their head saying they should be a bit concerned here.

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