FOXBORO — Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel recently said on the radio that the best gift he received for Christmas was a shirt featuring rookie left tackle Will Campbell in a Baby Bjorn.

The Patriots’ offensive line gave their head coach the shirt, which also showed Vrabel and assistant offensive line coach Jason Houghtaling, as a rib because of the close relationship Campbell shares with his two coaches.

Campbell, who returned from a knee injury Sunday, was asked about his relationship with Vrabel after the 38-10 win over the Dolphins.

“The first time I met him, we definitely hit it off. I mean, we’re very similar. I just feel like it’s very rare to have a coach like him that can connect with so many different personalities on a team. I don’t ever want to have to play for anybody else,” Campbell said. “I feel like that’s the best way to sum it up. This is the most fun I’ve had playing football since high school.

“All you ever heard about whenever you’re going in the league as a rookie is ‘it’s not like college.’ You know, ‘enjoy college. You don’t have that close bond team.’ And I feel like that’s complete BS, because this team has done nothing but prove that wrong. I feel like we got a lot of great guys, great coaches, and I’m just super thankful to be a part of this group.”

Campbell said he thought the worst when he first suffered his knee injury in Week 12 against the Bengals.

The LSU product said he was “super thankful” to get back on the field Sunday. He also said his knee felt good coming out of the game.

“There was certain stuff that progressively got better over the night,” Campbell said. “I wasn’t going to come out the first drive playing how I was before I went down, just because I hadn’t gone against a real live look in six weeks, and I went against a two-time Pro Bowler. I felt like I got progressively better as the drives went on. And finally I caught my stride and felt good. But I was really excited to be able to play tonight and play before we have to go into the tournament.”

The Patriots didn’t allow a sack in Sunday’s win over the Dolphins. Campbell’s blocking also helped the Patriots pick up 243 yards and four touchdowns on 43 carries.

Chargers to visit

The Patriots will host the Chargers in the Wild Card round of the playoffs next Sunday at 8 p.m. inside Gillette Stadium.

The Patriots clinched the No. 2 seed in the AFC bracket after Sunday’s 38-10 win over Miami, while a backup-laden Chargers team dropped to the seventh seed after a 19-3 loss at Denver.

The Patriots (14-3) will play at home for the entire AFC playoffs unless they meet the Broncos in the AFC Championship Game. This is their first trip to the postseason in four years, and next weekend will feature their first home playoff game since January 2020.

The Chargers (11-6) are led by Pro Bowl quarterback Justin Hebert, who completed 66.4% of his passes for 3,727 yards, 26 touchdowns and 13 interceptions despite a lingering hand injury and poor pass protection. Entering Sunday, when Herbert sat in favor of backup Trey Lance, Los Angeles ranked 17th in points scored and seventh in points allowed. The Chargers are making their second straight postseason run under second-year head coach Jim Harbaugh, who has one career Super Bowl appearance from his tenure as the head coach in San Francisco.

The Pats and Chargers did not play in the regular season. Their last meeting came on Dec. 28, 2024, when Los Angeles slammed the Pats 40-7 in a game that sealed the fate of then head coach Jerod Mayo.

Diggs goes over 1,000

Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs clinched his seventh 1,000-yard season with a 34-yard grab late in the third quarter.

The four-time Pro Bowl selection needed just 30 yards heading into Week 18 for 1,000 on the season, for which he earned a $500,000 incentive. He’s the Patriots’ first 1,000-yard receiver since Julian Edelman in 2019.

Making Diggs’ 1,000-yard season even more impressive is that he’s still only 14 months removed from surgery to repair a torn ACL.

“I went into this season just trying to be the best teammate I could be, the best leader I can be, and kind of let the cards fall where they may. And when I realized that the cards are kind of close to where it was achievable, I was just putting in that same amount of effort, that same amount of leadership I try to bring,” Diggs said about gaining 1,000 yards. “It means a lot to me, just because I was working extremely hard, I was in a dark space when I was hurt.”

The veteran receiver, who signed a three-year contract in free agency, finished with 85 catches for 1,013 yards this season. He caught three passes for 43 yards on Sunday.

Williams happy to return

Defensive tackle Milton Williams also made his return to the field in Sunday’s win.

The high-priced free-agent addition acknowledged Sunday that his ankle came out of the game feeling a little sore.

“I’ve got a high-ankle (sprain), so it ain’t (gonna) just go away,” Williams said. “So it’s just something I’m going to have to deal with. Keep working with our training staff and keep moving forward.”

Williams, who was activated Saturday after a six-week absence, had two tackles, including a tackle for loss.

“I just felt good,” Williams said. “I just felt good being back, being out there. Sitting on the couch, that’s garbage. I ain’t gonna lie … little rusty, but it was just good to put my hands on somebody and run around a little bit at game speed.”

2026 opponents set

The Patriots’ 2026 regular-season opponents are set.

Next season, the Pats will play the Bills, Dolphins, Jets, Broncos, Raiders, Packers, Vikings and the winner of Sunday night’s Steelers-Ravens game at home.

They will travel to play the Bills, Dolphins, Jets, Jaguars, Chargers, Chiefs, Bears, Lions and Seahawks.

The NFL’s scheduling formula dictates teams play nine home games and eight road games every other year. After a 2025 season where they played an extra game in Foxboro, the Patriots will spend most of next year on the road.

It’s possible the Patriots will play an international game for the first time since 2023, when they exported one of their nine home games to Frankfurt, Germany, and played the Colts. The Patriots are also one of four teams with marketing rights in Brazil, where the Lions, who also have marketing rights, could host them as the de facto home team. Another option is traveling to Detroit on Thanksgiving for the first time since 2010.

Extra points

Tight end Hunter Henry earned a $250,000 incentive for his 60th catch of the season. … Outside linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson earned $500,000 with a sack midway through the fourth quarter, giving him 7.5 on the season. … In a pregame interview on 98.5 The Sports Hub, Vrabel thanked fans for their support when discussing the team’s undefeated 8-0 road record, saying: “Our crowd, it was amazing to see travel.”