Rams at New England Patriots: Who has the edge?
RAMS (4-5) at NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (3-7)
When: 10 a.m. Sunday
Where: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass.
TV/Radio: FOX (Ch. 11)/710 AM; 93.1 FM; 1330 AM (Spanish); Sirius 383, 228
Line: Rams by 4.5
Notable injury designations
Rams: OUT: RT Rob Havenstein (ankle), DT Neville Gallimore (neck), CB Charles Woods (ankle); DOUBTFUL: OL Joe Noteboom (ankle); QUESTIONABLE: OLB Byron Young (knee), CB Josh Wallace (hip).
Patriots: QUESTIONABLE: DT Jaquelin Roy (neck), LB Sione Takitaki (knee), DE Deatrich Wise Jr. (foot), S Kyle Dugger (ankle), DT Daniel Ekuale (abdomen), LB Christian Elliss (abdomen), OT Vederian Lowe (shoulder), S Marte Mapu (neck), CB Alex Austin (ankle), DT Christian Barmore (not injury related).
What’s at stake? This is a must-win game for the Rams and their playoff hope given the difficulty of the schedule ahead for them, between home games against playoff teams like Buffalo, Philadelphia and San Francisco and long road trips to the Jets and Saints. Losing this one would be difficult for the Rams to make up in the tight NFC West race.
Who’s better? The Rams are the more balanced team, provided of course that the offense makes some corrections from last week’s dud of a performance against the Dolphins.
Matchup to watch: Rams’ pass rush vs. Patriots’ offensive line. New England’s line ranks 31st in the NFL in pressure rate, allowing opposing teams to at least hurry the quarterback 41.2% of the time, while also ranking last in pass-block win rate at 49%. If the Rams’ young pass rush that has started to come together in recent weeks continues to win at the line of scrimmage, it could make for a very long day for Pats rookie QB Drake Maye.
Rams win if: They convert more than 50% of their red-zone appearances into touchdowns. … RB Kyren Williams averages 4.5 yards per carry for the first time in five games. … The offensive line limits the Patriots, who have a pass-rush win rate of 39%, to no more than one sack and four pressures.
Fantasy sleeper: Rams TE Davis Allen. The second-year player out of Clemson has steadily seen his snap share tick up the past three weeks, peaking with 80% in Week 10. This resulted in him making five catches for 34 yards, both season highs, against the Dolphins. Allen could continue to see his usage in the offense improve, especially as the Rams look for someone who can win at the point of the catch in the red zone.
Prediction: Rams 24, Patriots 14. Beat reporter’s record: 6-3 for the season; 4-5 against the spread.