The Patriots didn’t have James White when they faced the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night.

The pass-catching running back was named one of the Patriots six inactive players 90 minutes before kickoff. White missed the game due to a tragic event surrounding his family.

According to Andy Slater of Fox Sports 640 South Florida radio, White’s father Tyrone White was in a car crash on Sunday and didn’t survive. White’s mother, Lisa, was also in the car and is reportedly in critical condition.

Tyrone White was a police officer for the Miami-Dade Police Department. He also played a big role in White’s football journey, coaching his son when he was on the Pasadena Panthers as a 7-year-old.

White has been one of the best receiving backs in Patriots history. Last year, he finished with 72 receptions for 645 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns. In 2018, he set a Patriots running back record with 751 receiving yards and 87 receptions. Last weekend, he finished third on the Pats with three catches for 30 receiving yards.

With White inactive, the Patriots will used three running backs — Rex Burkhead, Sony Michel and J.J. Taylor.

Also inactive for the Patriots were Josh Uche, Jarrett Stidham, Korey Cunningham, Dalton Keene and Myles Bryant.

Under Newton’s wing

N’Keal Harry entered the 2019 season with high expectations. That happens when you become the first Patriots wide receiver drafted by Bill Belichick ever in New England.

On top of that, however, there was a laundry list of wideouts in that 2019 draft class that looked like solid NFL players.

Of course, it’s not Harry’s fault that the Patriots drafted him over the likes of A.J. Brown (1,051 receiving yards and 8 touchdowns for Tennessee), D.K. Metcalf (900 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns for Seattle), Terry McLaurin (919 yards and 7 touchdowns) or Deebo Samuel (802 yards and 3 touchdowns for San Francisco). Nevertheless, those players still serve as a measuring stick for the Pats No. 2 receiver.

That’ll be the case on Sunday night when Harry and the Patriots take on Metcalf and the Seahawks. After a shaky Week 1 performance, Harry is hoping to make the right strides this season. He said this week that it has helped having Cam Newton.

“He just really makes it a point of emphasis just to help me out and just try to walk me through things and guide me through things,” Harry said. “It’s been a big help up to this point.”

Last week against Miami, Harry finished with five receptions for 39 yards. Both numbers were career-highs. The receiver, however, had a costly fumble. He was nearing the goal line, but when he outstretched his arms, the ball came loose and went out of bounds. That was a touchback and gave the Dolphins the ball, costing the Pats some points.

“Just better ball security. Especially down there on the goal line,” Harry said. “It’s a lesson learned. I’m glad I learned it early in the season. Try to make sure it doesn’t happen again moving forward.”

Newton made headlines last week when he went to bat for Harry and said he wanted to focus on the good plays the receiver made. He also pointed to his history of helping younger receivers.

Harry said it was a nice gesture and that Newton helped him keep his head up.

Looking ahead

The Patriots might be facing a handful of backup quarterbacks over the next couple of months after a rash of injuries hit NFL teams on Sunday.

One of those injuries occurred when Jimmy Garoppolo left the San Francisco 49ers win over the New York Jets with a high ankle sprain. The Pats are slated to play the 49ers in Gillette Stadium in Week 7 on Oct. 25. That would mark Garoppolo’s first game against the Patriots, who, as we all know, drafted the quarterback in 2014 and traded him to the 49ers.

According to The Athletic, Garoppolo’s recovery could be 4-6 weeks depending on the severity. Nick Mullens will start for San Francisco with Garoppolo out. The 49ers also lost star pass rusher Nick Bosa (torn ACL), defensive tackle Solomon Thomas (knee injury) and running back Raheem Mostert (MCL sprain).

The Patriots might also be facing the Denver Broncos without their starting quarterback, Drew Lock, when the two teams face off on Oct. 11. Lock suffered an AC joint injury and was seen with his arm in a sling after the Broncos’ loss to Pittsburgh. ESPN reported that Lock’s timetable is anywhere from 2-6 weeks.

Lock will be replaced by Jeff Driskel, who was taken by the Red Sox with the 863rd pick of the 2013 MLB Draft. Driskel signed a contract with the Sox, but never suited up deciding instead to focus on football.

Roster moves

The Patriots promoted defensive lineman Nick Thurman from the practice squad to the game-day roster.

Sunday marked his NFL debut. At 6-foot-4, 305 pounds, he’ll bring added size to the defensive line. Thurman was an undrafted free agent in 2018. He spent that offseason with the Houston Texans and last year on the Patriots practice squad.

Every week, NFL teams can elevate two players from their practice squad. Those players revert to the scout team on Monday. Last weekend, the Patriots elevated kicker Nick Folk and defensive tackle Xavier Williams to the game day roster. This time around, they opted to elevate just the one player.