Patriots: James White carted off field after taking scary fall on sideline

Despite being at home and facing a New Orleans Saints team that’s coming off a humiliating loss, the New England Patriots came out flat on Sunday.

In fact, the offense didn’t account for a first down until the second quarter, when James White picked up six yards on a third down.

Unfortunately for the Patriots, the first positive stemming from the game was immediately followed by bad news.

White, who’s been the Patriots’ best offensive player this season, suffered an apparent hip injury on the play and was carted off the field. He took a hard hit and an even scarier tumble to the turf on the play.

Patriots RB James White was carted to the locker room on Sunday.

This is the absolute last thing the Patriots offense needed. Mac Jones and Co. were already struggling to move the ball against the Saints and now they lose arguably their most dynamic offensive weapon?

It’s just a terrible break for White, who was down for several minutes while being examined by the Patriots’ medical team. He was surrounded by his teammates before being taken off the field, which just goes to show how truly important he is to the Patriots. This guy is an essential voice and presence in the locker room, as echoed by Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. Not a guy Jones can afford to lose during his rookie season.

New England announced that it was a hip injury, but the most concerning part is that White was ruled out for the rest of the game almost immediately. That’s never a good sign for a player’s short-term outlook.

It’s turning out to be an incredibly rough Sunday for the Pats, who can’t protect Mac Jones or get the running game going. Take out an X-factor like White, and the afternoon is about to get even longer.

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