Both Kyle Van Noy and James White have missed a New England Patriots game this season due to non-injury-related reasons.
But both had good excuses.
Like Van Noy in Week 1, White didn't attend Sunday's game against the New York Jets because his wife, Diana, gave birth to a baby boy.
Head coach Bill Belichick made sure his running back wasn't forgotten, though. At the end of his postgame speech following the Patriots' 30-14 win, Belichick gave the White family a shout-out.
"Let's keep stringing them together here; we've got a long way to go."
Celebrating a Week 3 win. pic.twitter.com/wBQc6pbDyk — New England Patriots (@Patriots) September 24, 2019
Local
In-depth news coverage of the Greater Boston Area.
"We added another son to our roster with James," a smiling Belichick told his team.
Neither White nor his wife have announced their child's birth, but according to Belichick, it sounds like everything went smoothly.
The same can be said for the Patriots' offense without White, which scored four touchdowns against New York on Sunday. New England could use his elusiveness in the backfield, though; Patriots rushers averaged just 2.5 yards per carry versus the Jets and face a Buffalo Bills defense in Week 4 that's allowing just 88 rushing yards per game.
Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device.
