New England Patriots: 3 Players that must shine vs. Texans, Week 13

2. James White

After putting a decent string of solid performances for the Patriots both in the running game and in the passing attack out of the backfield to this point in the 2019 campaign, James White took a big step back in the Week 12 victory at home against the Dallas Cowboys last weekend.

In the win over the Cowboys, White managed to finish with just five total rushing yards in the game on a total of two carries, averaging 2.5 yards per rush attempt while grabbing a game-long run of just three yards.

Often times, when White hasn’t been as dominant on the ground in the rushing attack, he has at least been able to boost New England in the passing game. But that wasn’t the case in Week 12 either for the running back. White finished the game a week ago with just one reception, which resulted in a six-yard loss.

Fellow running back Sony Michel did step up and pick up the pace in the running game, so White’s down performance wasn’t fully impactful in the game against Dallas for New England, but the Patriots will need to try and get White back involved in the flow of things on offense to present them with yet another target within the offense in Week 13 on the road against Houston this Sunday.