NFL
By George Lopez
The Los Angeles Rams go on the road this week as they face the New England Patriots in Foxboro. The Rams are coming off a disappointing 23-15 loss to the Miami Dolphins, snapping their three-game winning streak. The Patriots are looking to make it two consecutive wins following their 19-3 victory over the Chicago Bears. The Rams will look to get back to the formula that helped produce their three-game winning streak.
The Rams offense struggled to find its rhythm against the Dolphins defense. Steven Avila and Jonah Jackson returned to the offensive line after being injured for multiple weeks. The Rams pass protection had seen improvement in recent weeks. However, the struggles that had plagued the offensive line early in the season returned against the Dolphins, as Matthew Stafford was sacked four times and faced constant pressure throughout the game. The Rams will look to improve their pass protection against the Patriots, which will give Stafford time to find his receivers downfield.
Under coach Sean McVay, the Rams offense has been more fluid when they use a balanced attack. Against the Dolphins, the Rams got away from their balanced attack as Stafford had 46 pass attempts compared to only 18 rushing attempts. Stafford completed 32-46 passes for 293 yards with no touchdowns and 1 interception. The Dolphins kept the Rams offense out of the endzone, holding them to 5 field goals. The Rams will look to keep Stafford under 40 pass attempts against the Patriots.
Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp led the Rams receiving group against the Dolphins with 16 combined receptions on 21 combined targets. Stafford has a tremendous connection with Nacua and Kupp. To keep the Patriots pass coverage honest, look for Stafford to spread the ball around to multiple receivers. Tutu Atwell is a deep threat in the Rams passing attack. However, if the Rams pass protection struggles as it did against the Dolphins, Stafford will not have the time to look deep downfield for Atwell.
The key for the Rams offense to find its rhythm is establishing their running game. Kyren Williams was limited to 15 rushing attempts against Miami. Look for the Rams to get Williams 20-25 touches against the Patriots. When the Rams running game is established, it opens up the Rams play play-action passing attack.
Quarterback Drake Maye leads the Patriots offense. In six games, Maye has passed for 954 yards with seven touchdowns and five interceptions. The rookie from North Carolina has shown tremendous leadership since taking over the helm of the Patriots offense. Though he has been sacked 14 times, Maye has shown the ability to escape the pocket for positive yards, accounting for 233 rushing yards. The Rams edge rushers will look to maintain outside containment to prevent Maye from escaping, while the defensive line will look to collapse the pocket around Maye.
TE Hunter Henry has been the top target in the Patriots passing attack with 40 receptions for 428 yards. Throughout the game, safety Quinten Lake may be called upon to provide pass coverage on Henry, as will LB Christian Rozeboom. Demario Douglas is the top option at WR. For the season, Douglas has 39 receptions for 356 yards. RB Rhamondre Stevenson is an option out of the backfield in the Patriots passing attack. On the season, Stevenson has accounted for 24 receptions, mostly on checkdowns. The Rams will need to be aware of Stevenson coming out of the backfield.
The Rams will look to contain the Patriots rushing attack. Stevenson leads the way with 512 yards on the season. Antonio Gibson should be expected to see time in the Patriots backfield to spell Stevenson. The Rams interior defensive line will look to close up the inside running lanes, while the Rams edge rushers will need to maintain outside containment to force the Patriots running backs from getting to the edge. If the Rams are not able to contain the Patriots running game, look for the Patriots to rely heavily on the run to keep the Rams offense off the field as long as possible.
The Rams will look to get back on the winning track following a disappointing game against the Dolphins. Look for the Rams to go to Williams and their running game early to keep their offense balanced. Look for Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula to use a scheme to slow down the Patriots running game and to bring pressure on quarterback Drake Maye. The Rams will get back on the winning track against New England.
