After a surprise win vs. the Bengals in Week 1, the New England Patriots have lost three straight games. In the last two weeks, their opponents have outscored them 54-16. That includes a 24-3 loss in Week 3 to the Jets. The Patriots lost 30-13 on the road in Week 4 to the San Francisco 49ers.
During that game, starting center and captain David Andrews suffered a serious shoulder injury. The 32-year-old took roughly a day to console with team doctors and make a decision. Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported that Andrews is electing to have shoulder surgery and will likely miss the remainder of the 2024 season. A massive loss on the offensive line for New England.
Losing David Andrews is devastating this early in the season for the Patriots
It’s impossible to overstate how valuable David Andrews is to the #Patriots. He is, as one close observer noted, the heart-and-soul of the locker room.
Andrews tried like crazy for a different outcome. But this appears to be the only choice for the NE stalwart. https://t.co/C5DPnTJKpz
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 2, 2024
In the 2015 NFL draft, David Andrews went undrafted out of Georgia but signed as a free agent with the Patriots. As a rookie, Andrews played in 14 of their 16 games and made 11 starts. Since then, Andrews has started in every game he’s played for New England. Over the last nine seasons, Andrews has been a foundational piece for their offensive line and identity as a team. Andrews has won two Super Bowls in his time with the Patriots.
New England is down to one healthy center on their active roster after losing David Andrews. Second-year pro Jake Andrews is out for the season with a torn meniscus. That leaves Nick Leverett as their only option moving forward. Not ideal for a Patriots team that is weak at every position on the offensive line. They had a stalwart center in David Andrews but he is done for the season with a shoulder injury. A crushing loss for the Patriots on offense. New England’s (13,0) points per game in 2024 is the second worst through four games. Only the Dolphins are worse and that’s because they lost their starting QB in Week 2. Ironically, the Patriots are at home this Sunday for an AFC East showdown with Miami.
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