New England Patriots' Woes Continue In Miserable First Half vs. New Orleans Saints

In a situation that's all too familiar at this point, the New England Patriots find themselves in a halftime hole once again as they trail the New Orleans Saints 21-0 heading into the break.

Many of the same problems that have haunted the Patriots all season are still alive and well in this game. In particular, the offense has been outright miserable once again, accounting for just 85 total yards and less than 11 minutes of possession.

Coming off arguably the worst game of his career against the Dallas Cowboys, quarterback Mac Jones is having another brutal showing against the Saints. The embattled quarterback has completed just eight of 15 passes for 72 yards, and worst of all, a 27-yard pick six to New Orleans safety Tyrann Mathieu. Jones has a quarterback rating of just 38.8 through 30 minutes, which would be one of the worst marks of his career if it holds.

New England's ground game has been also been anemic, with just 25 yards on nine carries.

After not scoring a touchdown in the second half of their Week 3 game against the New York Jets, and not scoring any touchdowns period against the Cowboys, the Patriots are now going on eight consecutive quarters without finding the end zone.

The difference this time around is that the Patriots' defense hasn't been able to help them either. After forcing two stops early, New England allowed New Orleans to march down the field on consecutive touchdown drives. The Saints were one of three teams, alongside the Patriots and Las Vegas Raiders, to not score over 20 points in a game yet this season, but they broke out of that club in just the first half against New England.

Saints quarterback Derek Carr was also coming off a tough game in a Week 4 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but he looked sharp through the first half of this game. Carr had an efficient showing, completing 11 of 15 passes for 138 yards and five-yard a touchdown to receiver Chris Olave. Running back Alvin Kamara also had a solid half, rushing for 42 yards and his first touchdown of the season on 11 carries.

Even the Patriots' special teams have struggled, as rookie kicker Chad Ryland missed a 48-yard field goal. With the miss, Ryland has made just four of his eight attempts on the year. Jabrill Peppers also muffed a punt, but got a fortunate bounce by the ball going out of bounds.

The Patriots will get the ball to start the second half, desperately hoping to get something going on offense and stop the bleeding.