After standout performance, Keion White says Matthew Judon ‘passed the torch’

Judon praised White for his big game on Sunday. Here's how White responded.

Matthew Judon saluted Keion White’s performance during Sunday’s win over the Bengals with a brief comment on White’s Instagram page.

White posted a few photos of himself along with highlight clips of his 2.5 sack performance. It was a breakout game for the 2023 second-round pick, who only had one sack all of last season.

“3 of them,” Judon said, noting the number of sacks White was involved in on Sunday.

“Passed the torch,” White wrote in response to Judon.

Judon, who led the Patriots in sacks during two of the three seasons he spent in New England, was traded to the Atlanta Falcons during training camp after he and the Patriots were unable to work out a contract dispute.

The Patriots got a third-round pick back in the deal, but there were questions about how the Patriots would replace Judon’s production.

So far, White appears to be playing a big role. His pressure off the edge disrupted the Cincinnati offense on multiple occasions. The Patriots will also rely on Joshua Uche, Oshane Ximines and others, but White certainly showed flashes of what he can do during the best game of his young career.

Judon had a decent debut with at Atlanta, posting five tackles and 0.5 sacks. He is adjusting to a new team and is coming off of a biceps injury that caused him to miss all but four games last season.

Last year, Christian Barmore led the Patriots in sacks with 8.5. This year, Barmoe is out after being diagnosed with blood clots, and it is unclear when he will return.

The Patriots’ ability to generate a strong pass-rush and hold the Joe Burrow-led Bengals to 10 points is a positive sign. White is off to a good start, and time will tell if he can keep it up.