Rams Shut Down New England on TNF to Stay in First Place

To start off the last quarter of the season, the Los Angeles Rams hosted the New England Patriots on Thursday Night Football. The Rams were the better team going in and showed that all game long, dominating New England by a score of 24-3. Let us highlight the big moments in this game and what is at stake moving forward.

Rams Dominate on Defense

The Rams are enjoying a lot of success this season and a lot of that has to do with the dominance on the defensive side of the ball. Led by DT Aaron Donald and CB Jalen Ramsey, Los Angeles came into the night ranked fifth in points allowed and second in total yards allowed. They also were tied for third in takeaways coming into the night with 20 (12 INT, 8 FUM).

This game proved to be the most impressive of them all, limiting the anemic New England offense to 220 yards of total offense, holding them to 3-13 on third down and 0-3 on third down. They also totaled six sacks (Donald 2, Brockers 2, Young 1, Fox 1) and forced one turnover. That turnover was a pick-six by Kenny Young, cutting off a screen pass and returning it 79 yards. The Rams defense took over this game and will continue to do so leading them to the playoffs.

Cam Akers

When the Rams offense is successful, it is a ground and pound offense that is complemented by the play-action pass. After a slow start to the season, rookie RB Cam Akers has started to turn the corner, tonight being his breakout game. The former Florida State standout had 29 carries for 171 yards while also catching two passes for 23 yards. In his last three games, Akers has carried the rock 59 times for 327 yards and two touchdowns.

As for the passing attack, it was pedestrian at best, but moved the chains enough to complement the dominant running game. QB Jared Goff went 16/25 for 137 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He also scored on a QB sneak to start the scoring for the night. WR Cooper Kupp caught the only passing touchdown, while TE Tyler Higbee and WR Robert Woods added seven catches for 66 yards.

New England Comes Crashing Down

Before tonight, the New England Patriots were enjoying a nice little stretch, winning four of their last five with their latest being a 45-0 blowout over the Los Angeles Chargers. Against the Rams, the Patriots faced a harsh reality. They simply do not have the talent to compete yet and their offense is not dynamic enough to scare a defense. After throwing for over 300 yards against the Texans, QB Cam Newton has not combined for that number in his last three games and ended up getting benched tonight. RB Damien Harris ran for 50 yards tonight and the leading receiver had 49 yards. To top it off, they scored just three points. This offense is too stagnant and does not have any firepower, which has resulted in struggles. If it were not for head coach Bill Belichick scheming this team to victory, it is hard to see what their record would be.

Looking Ahead

Looking ahead to Week 15, the New England Patriots (6-7) will travel to Miami to take on the playoff-hopeful Miami Dolphins (8-4), with the hopes to get back to .500 and keep their slim playoff hopes alive. As for the Los Angeles Rams (9-4), they will have a golden opportunity to boost their chances of winning the division against the New York Jets, who are yet to win a game yet this season.

Info and stats from profootballreference.com

-By: Richie Dordas

Rams Shut Down New England on TNF to Stay in First Place