3 Patriots We Need to See More of in Week 2
New England Patriots fans have now had some time to process Sunday’s season-opening loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. While it wasn’t the outcome that most of us wanted, it could’ve been worse considering that the Pats only lost by 5 points to a team that just went toe-to-toe with the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII.
As with any Patriots game, there’s a lot to dissect when it comes to individual performances. Some players proved their worth and deserve more playing time for it while others deserve to see their opportunities scaled back after leaving much to be desired.
With a massive Sunday Night Football matchup against the rival Miami Dolphins looming, here are three Patriots we need to see more of in Week 2.
3 Patriots We Must See More of in Week 2
3. Keion White
If you were box score hopping, chances are that defensive lineman Keion White isn’t a name that stood out in Week 1. After all, this year’s 46th overall selection didn’t record a single tackle in his NFL debut.
But as we all know, the box score doesn’t exactly tell the entire story.
White made his presence felt throughout the night, putting pressure on Eagles QB Jalen Hurts from the get-go. The rookie defender dazzled Patriots fans with how he handled offensive tackle Lane Johnson, who’s been named All-Pro in each of the last two seasons.
By the time the smoke cleared, White had racked up 4 pressures on 13 pass-rush attempts, finishing second only to Matthew Judon’s 6. He also finished with 4 QB Hurries while his 70.3 pass-rush grade was third-best on the team, per Pro Football Focus.
Here are Patriots' top pass-rush, pass-coverage and run-defense @PFF grades for last night's game.
— Dakota Randall (@DakRandall) September 11, 2023
Matthew Judon led with six pressures, while Barmore, Uche and Keion White all had four. pic.twitter.com/CF0hzznwTb
After the Dolphins just racked up 466 passing yards and 3 touchdowns through the air in Week 1, the Patriots must have White on the field more often than not. I understand that Bill Belichick isn’t always willing to give a lot of responsibilities to rookies, but White is a special case who needs those extra reps if New England wants to make Tua Tagovailoa’s life hell.
All I know is that if White doesn’t get a bigger opportunity to showcase his ceiling come Sunday night, I and many Patriots fans will be left with a lot of questions.