Super Bowl 53: 5 Players that failed to show up in Patriots vs. Rams

ATLANTA, GA - FEBRUARY 03: Head coach Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams talks with Jared Goff #16 prior to kickoff at Super Bowl LIII against the New England Patriots at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on February 3, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /

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ATLANTA, GEORGIA – FEBRUARY 03: Mark Barron #26 of the Los Angeles Rams tackles James White #28 of the New England Patriots in the second half during Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on February 03, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

James White, New England Patriots

Do you remember when White was a crucial part of the Patriots comeback against the Atlanta Falcons? Things change quite a lot in the Patriots backfield year to year and game to game.

While White has been a crucial part of some go his team’s game plans, he touched the ball just three times with two rushes and one reception in the Super Bowl. He finished the game with just nine total yards. Granted, the Patriots didn’t need White to contribute a lot to win, but if he did more than things might not have been so close down the line.

White had the best season of his career in 2018. He ran for 751 yards and added 425 yards through the air. He also had seven rushing touchdowns and five receiving touchdowns, cementing himself as the team’s true Swiss army knife. In the playoffs, he rushed for just 23 yards in the Divisional Round and Conference Championship, but he also had 19 receptions for 146 yards in those two games.

He didn’t get that level of attention or production this time around though. Sony Michel carried the load for the Patriots, carrying the ball 18 times for 94 yards and a touchdown. While White was basically written out of the game plan for this game, I have no doubt he’ll still be a crucial part of the team moving forward.

This is just part of the genius of the Patriots. They can choose to feature certain players in any given game. Still, I feel like White should have at least put up 10 yards in the biggest game of the season.

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