Any time that the New England Patriots are not expected to win a football game, they shock ninety-five percent of the rest of the country and pull it off. Whenever there is a glimmer of hope, they do not live up to the hype. Heading into this home game against the Los Angeles Rams, the latter is expected, but it is not expected to be a total rout. The Rams are coming off a bitter 23-15 defeat to the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football, in which their offense failed to score a touchdown, and where their defense got just two third-down stops in the second half. This is supposed to be a get-right game for LA, but there are a few weaknesses that New England could exploit along the way. Let’s take a look at the five biggest things to pay attention to on Sunday afternoon, seeing what could make this a close and competitive game, but also understanding what each team will do to try to win the game.
Patriots vs Rams Week 11 Preview
1. The Rams Offense is Desperate to Bounce Back
All season long, this LA offense has been efficient but inconsistent. Their most complete performance was against the Minnesota Vikings on October 24, when Matthew Stafford threw four touchdowns and the defense sealed the deal with a game-winning sack in the end zone for a safety. Their remaining three victories have been extremely close and down to the wire. They had to roar back from a 21-7 deficit against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 3, they won by five against the 2-7 Las Vegas Raiders four weeks later, and it took overtime to beat the Seattle Seahawks two games after that. Heading into this road game against the Patriots, the Rams are desperate to put everything together. They have a touchdown magnet in Kyren Williams, one of the best receiving duos featuring Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, and an offensive line that is fully healthy. If they somehow struggle and stumble against a Patriots defense that has been ineffective and injured all year long, then either LA is barely going to stumble into the playoff picture as the seventh seed or a team is easily going to sneak up from behind and snatch it for themselves.
2. Anfernee Jennings Has Been Extremely Underrated
When it comes to the Patriots’ defense, the best player has mainly been cornerback Christian Gonzalez because of his ability to shut down some of the top receivers in the game. However, nobody talks about the impact that Anfernee Jennings has on their defensive line. On Sunday afternoon against the Chicago Bears, the Patriots finished with nine total sacks, with Jennings responsible for two of them. According to Pro Football Focus, Jennings has been responsible for the fourth most quarterback pressures over the last two weeks with eleven. Many wondered who was going to step up for the Patriots pass rush after Matt Judon was traded and Christian Barmore was ruled out indefinitely. While Keion White has certainly lived up to the mantle with his relentless pressure and burst, Jennings has filed under the radar all season long. The Rams’ offensive line has plenty of quality starters, but they recently gave up four sacks to the Dolphins on Monday Night Football. While it is highly unlikely that New England is going to pick up where they left off from last week, the most important thing that they need to do is knock Matthew Stafford off his spot and generate a ton of pressure. Not only are LA’s offensive playmakers explosive enough to keep this Patriots secondary on its heels, but without a few critical stops or takeaways, then the score could get worse over the course of the afternoon.
3. The Rams Defense Has Plenty of Playmakers
This Rams defense has not been perfect this year. They are below average in a bunch of categories, but it is not a unit that can be completely underestimated because they have a bunch of opportunistic players who know how to get their hands on the football. The two leading tacklers for LA are safety Quentin Lake and linebacker Christian Rozeboom, both of whom can reach the seventy mark on Sunday despite the outcome. Kobie Turner and Byron Young have always been explosive pass rushers and they each lead their team with five sacks, but rookies Jared Verse and Braden Fiske are catching up in the race. Kamren Kinchens is responsible for the longest pick-six this year with a 103-yard return against the Seahawks, but the most underappreciated player on their secondary is safety Jaylen McCollough, who leads the team in interceptions with four. While there are definitely areas for New England to exploit, their offense does not exactly have the best complimentary weapons for their rookie quarterback to utilize. The most important thing for the Patriots to do if they want to have any chance of pulling off this upset is for them to hold onto the football because one slight mistake can easily give the Rams all of the momentum.
4. Sean McVay vs. Jerod Mayo
When you look at the two head coaches in this matchup, it appears to be a complete mismatch. Sean McVay is easily one of the top three offensive minds of the game, who has led his team to a Super Bowl championship and several winning seasons during his tenure with the Rams. On the other side, you have a first-time head coach in Jerod Mayo, a former player and assistant that is understanding just how challenging it is to build a winning program. The biggest reason why the Rams are favored in this matchup is not primarily because of the talent on the field, but it is really due to the fact that McVay is always going to be one step ahead of the rookie. However, Mayo does not have to pull out all of the tricks in the book to try to win this game. If he does, then this is going to be an ugly blowout that he will have to live with throughout the rest of his career. However, this matchup is about chess over checkers, so the attention to detail is more paramount than any play that is run on that football field.
5. Could the Patriots Experience Deja Vu?
The last time that the Patriots went up against the Rams was a dismal and bittersweet performance. The date was December 10, 2020. Both teams were trying to compete for a playoff spot and were lucky enough to face each other on Thursday Night Football. It was also a rematch of Super Bowl 53 when New England shut down a high-powered McVay offense 13-3 in the lowest-scoring championship game in NFL History. On that fateful day in 2020, the Rams unleashed their pent-up aggression from that Super Bowl and blew the Patriots out 24-3. While the rosters then are completely different from the ones that both teams have now, the last thing that New England wants to happen is another ugly blowout defeat, especially in their own house. This season has obviously not gone according to plan, but the team has shown more promise over the last few weeks, and all the fans want to see is for them to continue to develop and improve. Even if the Rams handle their business and pull off the win, the Patriots have to play with some purpose and show some fight. If they go out and lay an egg in front of their own fans, then it is time to think about who the team should select in the upcoming NFL draft.
Main Image: David Banks-Imagn Images
