Los Angeles Rams bold predictions for Week 11 vs. Patriots

Today at 04:05 AM

After ripping off three straight wins after their Week 6 bye, the Los Angeles Rams welcomed their old pal Jalen Ramsey and his Miami Dolphins to SoFi Stadium for a special showdown on Monday Night Football.

Finally, after looking incredibly shaky to start off the season, the Rams would get to show just how good they can look with Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp back on the field and the rest of the NFC West, nay, the rest of the NFC, nay, the rest of the NFL would have to readjust their expectations accordingly.

…but then the actual game happened.

Reconfiguring the offensive line for what felt like the tenth time this year, LA’s offense once again looked disjointed, with the team struggling to move the ball through the air, Matthew Stafford making some unfortunate mistakes, and the Rams failing to reach the endzone on any of their drives.

Disappointing stuff? You bet; the Rams had a chance to really take a step forward in the NFC West standings with a win and are now once again tied for last place with the Seattle Seahakes in the most competitive division in the NFL.

Fortunately, the Rams have a chance to make things right in Week 11 when they go head to head against a New England Patriots team that is playing much better than when Jacoby Brissett was under center but will still likely end the year with a losing record.

Is this the game where the Rams finally get back on track? Will the defense give New England’s rookie quarterback fits? Will Kyren Williams run wild on an injured Patriots defense? And what about Stafford? Will he turn in another Pro Bowl-caliber game or add to his interception streak? Let’s delve into the numbers instead and attempt to find out.

1. Matthew Stafford has a bounce-back game

In 2024, the Rams’ offense has more or less sunk or swam based on the play of their fearless leader, Matthew Stafford.

When the Georgia product is absolutely slinging it, hitting big passes down the field, making smart reads, and commanding the offense like the oldest starting quarterback in the league should, the Rams look borderline unstoppable, as they have a collection of offensive talent on-par with any other team in the NFL. But when he’s off? When he’s launching bullets to receivers he’s not used to playing with or has to chuck it deep on third and long with the game on the line?

Well, there’s a reason why the Rams are 4-5.

Now granted, the Patriots’ best defensive player – and maybe player in general – might just be Christian Gonzalez, the team’s second-year cornerback out of Oregon who is playing some pretty incredible football for New England after recovering from a shoulder injury. They also have a few interesting players up front in Christian Barmore and Yannick Ngakoue, who may or may not play as they return from injury and learn a new system respectively. But on the year, the Patriots rank 16th in passing yards allowed, 19th in completions allowed, and 23rd in yards per attempt, which. *spoiler alert* is not very good.

The Rams, by contrast, rank 13th in passing yards, 11th in completions, and 20th in yards per attempt and have thrown for at least 200 yards in six of their nine games so far this season. Throw that all together and what do you have? A statistical mismatch that McVay should be able to exploit, especially if the injury report shakes only in LA’s way.

2. Kyren Williams makes a statement for the Rams

While the Patriots’ defense is just okay against the pass, they are below average against the run, ranking 25th in rushing yards allowed, 26th in attempts, and 15th in yards per attempt.

Now granted, that hasn’t really mattered to McVay in 2024, as if Williams and company don’t get anything going on the ground early on, the Super Bowl-winning head coach has shown a perpetuity for abandoning the run without batting an eye. But in Week 11, even with the offensive line potentially a question mark once more, there’s little reason to believe that Williams shouldn’t be able to attack the Patriots on the ground effectively, as at this point, it’s practically a weekly routine.

That’s right, over the first ten weeks of the 2024 NFL season, the Patriots have allowed at least 100 rushing yards in seven of their ten games, including a seven-game streak from Week 3-9. The Rams, by contrast, have only four games with 100 yards on the ground out of nine efforts, which isn’t bad but is far from ideal for a team seemingly built to run the ball well.

Is this the game where the Rams finally put it all together, get plus play from all five offensive linemen, and practically force McVay to keep pounding the rock over and over again? On paper, it certainly looks like that could be the case, but until fans see it, they will have to keep believing that one day, the Rams will field a dynamic offense that moves the ball on the ground and through the air with ease. I mean, hey, it probably won’t happen, but you know what? You can’t knock fans for wanting to see it.

3. The Rams defeat Drake Maye with their stout defense

The Patriots’ passing offense is bad.

How bad? Well, through ten games of action, the Patriots rank dead last in passing yards, with all 31 other teams – yes, even the team you’re thinking of – somehow having more yards despite New England not even having their bye until Week 14.

To make matters worse, it’s not like the Patriots are some neo-rushing ideologues who scoff at the pass in favor of a dominant rushing attack, as New England actually has attempted the 19th most passing yards in the NFL. But when a team has a net yards per attempt mark of 4.6, which ranks 30th in the NFL, even volume can’t make up for a brutal passing offense bogged down by poor planning and execution.

Now sure, the Patriots are slinging it better with Drake Maye under center, as he’s averaging 21 more yards than Brissett on just under one fewer attempt per game, but even the pride of UNC is only averaging 159 yards and has only surpassed 200 yards in three of the six games he’s appeared in.

The Rams, by contrast, have an ascending passing defense, as while they currently rank 22nd in yards allowed, sixth in attempts, and 29th in NY/A, they have only allowed opposing teams to surpass 200 yards in three of their last six games, with the Miami Dolphins only getting to 171 yards through the air on Monday Night Football.

Could the Patriots find a way to light up the Rams in Week 11? Could Maye have his first-ever 300-yard passing game at the NFL level? Or will the Patriots instead see their own string of success come to an end, much like the Rams in Week 10? While anything is possible, this sure feels like a game where the Rams get back into the winner’s circle, gas up their fans with false hope, and seemingly get things back on track… until they face off against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football in Week 12 and that momentum and positivity comes crash down once more.

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