Ireland scored 22 points inside the first 30 minutes – the fourth-most first-half points conceded by England at home.
That followed England going 17-0 down in 15 minutes against Scotland at Murrayfield.
“Fast starts are not about being physical and smashing them, that is a given, you are running out for your country,” former England scrum-half Matt Dawson told BBC Rugby Union Weekly.
“It’s the tactics. It’s about how you are going to play, where you will play and how they will play.
“It’s individual preparation and the understanding of how to play professional sport, not just rugby. Have you got that mentality to adapt from minute one?
“England, when it goes badly in the first 10 minutes, they are yet to find a methodology or a way out of it.”
Former England fly-half Paul Grayson added: “From nowhere England pulled out a performance that lacked accuracy, energy and emotion.
“The Twickenham crowd were making a heck of a racket at the start but 30 minutes in there were ironic cheers for making touch with a kick.”
Borthwick has been here before as England boss. In 2023 his side shipped 53 points at home to France but later that year they were minutes away from making a World Cup final.
“England had a chance against Ireland to show the Murrayfield nightmare was just a blip, but instead things were even worse, with the defence porous, accuracy non-existent, and the gameplan exposed,” said BBC rugby correspondent Chris Jones.
“All the momentum and confidence generated from that 12-month winning run has evaporated in the space of 160 minutes of rugby.
“England’s tactics have been picked apart by Scotland and Ireland, and Borthwick will need to react and adapt if they are to salvage their campaign in Rome and Paris.”