The New England Patriots escaped with a 26-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, improving to 10-2 on the season and further bettering their standing in the AFC.

However, the Patriots did not emerge unscathed, as rookie left tackle Will Campbell suffered a knee injury that saw him carted to the locker room during the second half.

Of course, a ligament tear was the initial fear, but New England has received some positive news on that front: there is no severe structural damage.

Ian Rapoport of NFL media has revealed that Campbell is believed to have sustained an MCL sprain and will undergo an MRI on his knee to reveal the extent of the injury.

Rapoport added that a trip to injured reserve is possible for Campbell but that he could potentially return "when it matters most." So, in other words, the playoffs.

The Pats have five games left and have a Week 14 bye. If Campbell hits the injured reserve list this week, it would mean he would have a chance to return for the Patriots' regular-season finale against the Miami Dolphins, but there might not be any reason to bring him back for that contest.

New England selected Campbell with the fourth overall pick in the NFL Draft last April, hoping that the LSU product would help solve its offensive line woes.

While the Pats have still largely struggled in the trenches overall, allowing Drake Maye to be sacked 37 times, Campbell himself has been impressive, boasting a 71.4 overall grade — and 75.0 pass-blocking grade — at Pro Football Focus.

Remove Campbell from the equation, though, and things could become very dicey for Maye, who went 22-for-35 with 294 yards, a touchdown and an interception against the Bengals.

Maye leads the NFL in both passing yards (3,130) and completion percentage (71 percent), but he has suddenly thrown a pick in four of his last five games after going four straight weeks without one.

Things are definitely getting a bit tighter for Maye as we near the regular season's conclusion, and now, his job got that much more difficult with Campbell likely to hit the shelf for a bit.

The Patriots will face the New York Giants next Monday.