NFL Notebook: James White on his way to a landmark season

In this week’s edition of the NFL Notebook, we look at the progression of Jason McCourty with the Patriots, New England's ability to prevent explosive plays (and why the Patriots face a sizable test next week in that department) and what New England football fans should be watching for this weekend. But first, why James White has been the most important part of the New England offense over the first five games of the 2018 season, and his statistical ceiling the rest of the way.


1. It’s hard to stress just how important James White has been to the Patriots throughout the first month of the season. Without Julian Edelman for the first four weeks, and now, sans Jeremy Hill and Rex Burkhead, the undersized back has come up big time and again for New England. He leads the team in catches (32), receiving touchdowns (4), yards per carry among those with 10 or more chances (4.8), and is tied for the team lead in receptions that result in a first down (14). He’s also developed into one of the most dependable pass-catchers in the league — his catch rate of 73 percent (32 catches on 44 targets) is third-best among offensive skill position players with at least 30 receptions this year.

“He's one of our most dependable players," Bill Belichick said of White earlier this year. "Everybody has a lot of confidence in him, because he's earned it. He's earned that confidence and trust from his teammates and his coaches by doing it on a consistent basis. There's no real magic to that. It's just going out there and being consistent and dependable. He's done a great job of it."