Patriots’ defense knows it has to start faster, but how do they do it?

Patriots’ defense knows it has to start faster, but how do they do it?

FOXBORO — To extend their winning streak to five games, the Patriots need to fix a glaring issue on defense.

The Patriots have one of the worst first-half defenses in the NFL so far. The unit ranks 31st in DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average) in the first half.

They’re just 23rd in EPA/play and 31st in success rate in the first half. Their struggles have primarily come against the pass (30th in success rate), but they’re also just 20th in success rate against the run.

“Definitely feel like we’ve kind of struggled early in games,” linebacker Jack Gibbens said Thursday. “We’re kind of waiting for that first play to be made, and I think it comes down to energy and execution. Early in games, kind of bring in some juice. Someone go make a big play, get us rolling a li

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