Getty New England Patriots Linebacker Matthew Judon
W
hile Matthew Judon got all the attention, the pass rusher gave credit to another member of the New England Patriots who he describes as the best pass rusher on the team.
In Week 9, the Patriots racked up nine sacks and Judon tallied three of those. He now has 11.5 this season and became the first player in the entire league to eclipse double-digits in the stat.
But another player racked up three sacks against the Indianapolis Colts. Josh Uche tallied three sacks in what was one of the best performances of his young career. The pass rusher now has four sacks this season per Pro Football Reference.
After the win, Judon took some time to salute Uche’s play and even call him the best pass rusher on the Patriots roster.
“He can be a premiere pass rusher,” Judon said. “I always tell him, he’s probably the best pass rusher we got. I’m very happy for him. That’s my brother. I’m going to continue to speak him up and boast him, but that’s all him. He works his butt off, just to get out on the field. When he’s out there and he has success like that, I’m just happy for him.”
How Much Responsibility Does Uche Have?
At just 24 years old, that is a big label to put on Uche who hasn’t lived up to the hype so far in his career. Prior to his three-sack outburst against the Colts, Uche tallied just 22 total tackles and five sacks in his career.
Judon also revealed that Uche plays an important role on New England’s defense.
“No, I be talking to Josh [Uche] throughout the whole game,” Judon said. “Encouragement, just communicating how the offensive line’s setting and really just telling him kind of what to call, where, and how to call it. Because I don’t know if y’all know, but Josh actually calls the plays out there when we’re on third down. So our execution is from him. That’s hard for somebody that’s in year three, and hasn’t had that much success in the NFL, and it’s third and long and he has to make the right call, right? So for him to come out there, and have a game like he had and play lights out like that, that just allows him to see what he can do in this league.”
How Did Uche Rate his Performance?
While his teammates were pumping him up, Uche had a much more measured approach when asked about his performance in Week 9.
“I’m just being me,” Uche said when asked if he has changed anything about his play in recent weeks. “You know I always have faith in myself and even when nobody else believes in me, I kind of always knew what I was capable of. My dad has been a big help for me as well, just keeping that confidence as well so it’s been great.”
If Judon and Uche continue to perform as they din in Week 9, New England’s defense will be thought to stop. Maybe the Patriots could even luck into making a playoff run. New England still has a long way to go as they are at the bottom of the AFC East.
Still, with a bye week in Week 10, New England will be flying high as they get the chance to rest and recover.