The New England Patriots have lost several key players due to injuries this season, but the loss of David Andrews might be the biggest gut punch of them all.
Andrews exited Sunday's 30-13 loss to the San Francisco 49ers with a shoulder injury and did not return. On Wednesday, it was revealed the veteran center will likely undergo season-ending surgery.
It's a massive blow to a reeling Patriots team taking a three-game losing skid into Week 5. When it comes to irreplaceable players on this Pats roster, Andrews is arguably at the top of the list.
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"He's a stabilizing force," Curran said on Wednesday's Early Edition. "And this is a team that needed that stability because it was losing it, and now they're even further destabilized."
When Curran calls Andrews a "stabilizing force," he isn't only referring to his impact on the field. The Patriots will be without their team captain and a player who willingly stepped up to speak on behalf of the team after almost every tough loss over the last few years.
"One interesting thing about last season is after every single game, the first person who came out and faced the music with his sad face on -- the sad loss cigar -- was David Andrews," Curran said. "He stood up there week after week as it got bleaker and bleaker and bleaker and tried to put a face on things that would make people feel better, at least represent his team in a particular way.
"They're gonna need it for a whole different reason this year as they try and find their footing under Jerod Mayo. It's really hard to find somebody to articulate that. So it's not just on the field, but I think we all understand off the field too."
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Patriots quarterback Jacoby Brissett lamented the loss of Andrews, stating the two-time Super Bowl champion "runs the show" on offense while he's "just kind of co-hosting." So, who will run the show for the rest of the season with Andrews sidelined?
"Probably Brissett becomes the one who points out the Mike and then there's acknowledgment from the people in front of him," Curran said. "But additionally, when you're running the West Coast offense, you're running wide. So that means ideally, you're trying to run those plays to get to the edge, and the center is the key part of those pulling interior linemen. He has to get out, he has to get to the edge so that they can bring everybody outside and then get Rhamondre Stevenson or Antonio Gibson alleys in which they can cut up.
"So I don't know if Nick Leverett is particularly adept at that. I think Andrews was having a hard time adjusting to it too. It's asking a lot of this group to do that. But in terms of communication -- and what have we heard after every loss? 'Communication has got to be better. Once we communicate better, we'll play better.' "
Andrews wasn't the only Patriots player to leave Sunday's game with an injury. Safety Kyle Dugger and tackle Caedan Wallace exited with ankle injuries and didn't return. Both were non-participants in Wednesday's practice.
The Patriots will look to overcome their injury woes and get back in the win column when they host the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET.
Watch our Early Edition panel discuss the Andrews injury and its impact on the Patriots in the video below or on YouTube: