Stronger Starts: Patriots' David Andrews Emphasizes First Quarter

New England has scored only six points in the first quarter this season (two Chad Ryland field goals), a mark tied for 26th in the NFL. While they've been relatively diligent about keeping opponents off the board in the first 15 minutes (the defense allowing only two touchdowns), slow starts have made it difficult to generate any sort of headway. Almost any time the Patriots have had with a lead this season game in Week 3's win over the shellshocked New York Jets. 

Turnovers have played a major role in the early deficits: the Patriots played respectably in the opening weekend loss to still-undefeated Philadelphia but an Ezekiel Elliott fumble and a Mac Jones interception returned for a touchdown put them down 16-0 before most fans had settled into their seats at Gillette Stadium.

“It’s hard to get any sort of start (offensively) when you don’t have the football," Andrews said of the lost opportunities.

True to the apparent when it rains, it pours nature this Patriots season has seemed to have embraced, the quest to break out of dreary debuts won't get any easier: Foxborough hosts the New Orleans Saints on Sunday afternoon (1 p.m. ET, CBS) and the struggling offense will go up against one of the most formidable front sevens in the league. The Saints (2-2) are also equally desperate to keep pace in the perplexing NFC South, having dropped two in a row after taking their opening couple.

“They’re a good team (with) a good defense, good front, a lot of experience from the top down," Andrews said. "You look at it, from the secondary to the linebacking corps to the D-line, a lot of experienced players on a really good defense.”