Keion White started the 2024 regular season about as hot as any player on the New England Patriots' roster. The sophomore defensive lineman registered four combined sacks in his first two games, and appeared to be in the process of making a massive second-year jump.
His production, however, was not sustained. Quite the opposite, actually: White has not registered a quarterback takedown in seven straight contests.
While he is still the Patriots' leader in sacks at this point, his lack of production very well could be a potential concern for the team. Defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington, however, is not worried.
"I wish he would get a sack every game, that'd be great. But, for us, I don't look at it as sacks," Covington told reporters during a press conference on Thursday.
"As long as he's affecting the quarterback in some way -- and I think if you look at every game, he's back there touching the quarterback. So, as long as he continues to be around the quarterback, eventually they will come. Eventually, he'll make a sack."
Entering the Patriots' Week 10 game against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, White is ranked 32nd in the NFL in sacks. The team as a whole is ranked 29th in the league in that same category.
As Covington pointed out, however, pass rush production is more than just getting the opposing quarterback to the ground. And like the first-year coordinator said, White is doing a good job of having an impact on the play even with the stat sheet not necessarily being reflective of that on a week-to-week basis.
A look at the following table illustrates this. White is ranked 13th in the league in quarterback pressures with 30 total, and eighth when it comes to his snap-to-pressure times:
White being quick to pressure quarterbacks is a must for the Patriots. As Covington pointed out, after all, the ball is coming out quickly.
So far this season, the QBs going up against New England had an average time from snap to throw of 2.76 seconds. Only one player -- the San Francisco 49ers' Brock Purdy (3.62) -- averaged more than 3 seconds.
For the pass rush, especially as it pertains to getting sacks, this is a challenge.
"A lot of these quarterbacks ... the ball's coming out super fast," he explained. "The longer they hold it, the better chance you have at getting to the quarterback and creating a sack. So, I think he does a great job especially in a four-man rush winning his one-on-one rushes. He does a really good job doing that."
A glance at the film backs up those statements:
Covington pointed toward another reason for White's modest sack production as well: doing his job within the grander context that is the Patriots and their pressure packages.
"There's team defense also," he said. "There's doing his job whether that's in the pass game or containing the quarterback on a certain call, or doing whatever he's asked to do based off the team needs -- whether it's a different pressure coming, he needs to collapse the pocket. That's kind of how I look at it, playing team ball. He's done a good job for us and I hope he continues to do that for us.
"I don't really look at, 'Sack, sack, sack' because when you chase for a sack that's how the quarterback can get out the pocket, too. It's about being a disciplined, controlled rush with all our guys up front."
Based on expectations and personnel carryover from last year, the Patriots defense has underperformed so far this season. The pass rush is at the very forefront of that, with White's inability to keep up his strong opening pace standing out: New England needs him to play at a high level to have a consistent impact on opposing passing games.
From a pressure perspective that is indeed the case. Now all he needs to do is finish plays and find a way to get the sack totals up, too.