After a tough loss to the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football, the Los Angeles Rams bounced back with a 28-22 road win over the New England Patriots in Week 11. The victory gets the Rams back to .500 at 5-5, which puts them one game out of first place in the NFC West.
It again was a slow start for the Rams, which has become a theme this season. The Rams have the worst point differential in the NFL in first quarters, so it will be interesting to see if Sean McVay considers taking the ball moving forward if he wins the coin toss instead of deferring to the second half.
While getting the ball to start the third quarter is always nice, the Rams have continuously put themselves behind the eight-ball this season by starting slow.
Once the Rams offense got rolling though, there were basically unstoppable. In a span of five drives, they had four touchdowns and one missed field goal on a chip shot by Joshua Karty, who continues to be an issue for L.A.
Offensively though, Matthew Stafford had one of his best games of the season with 295 yards, four touchdowns and no turnovers. The offensive line did a nice job protecting him and Stafford diced up the Patriots all day, taking over sole possession of 10th place on the NFL’s all-time touchdown list.
It was his top two weapons that did a lot of the work as Puka Nacua had seven receptions for 123 yards and a touchdown and Cooper Kupp had six receptions for 106 yards and two touchdowns, including a 69-yarder to begin the third quarter.
Stafford has shown time and time again that he will make perfect throws if his offensive line gives him time, and they were able to do that. Beau Limmer was back at center and the sixth round rookie continues to shine for the Rams. With him playing as well as he has, it looks like L.A. has found its long-term answer at center.
Nine & Dime for 6!
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— Rams Newswire (@RamsNewswire) November 17, 2024
This young #RamsHouse defensive line is relentless!
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— Rams Newswire (@RamsNewswire) November 17, 2024
What a grab by @AsapPuka for his first touchdown of the season.
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— Rams Newswire (@RamsNewswire) November 17, 2024
Cooper Kupp and Matthew Stafford start the second half in style. 😎
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— Rams Newswire (@RamsNewswire) November 17, 2024
Matthew Stafford is absolutely DEALING. This is his fourth touchdown of the day with Colby Parkinson on the receiving end.
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— Rams Newswire (@RamsNewswire) November 17, 2024
Kamren Kinchens called game!
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— Rams Newswire (@RamsNewswire) November 17, 2024
Defensively, the Rams did their part by sacking Drake Maye three times and forcing two turnovers. Both of those turnovers were because of rookies as Braden Fiske had two sacks, including a forced fumble that was recovered by Kobie Turner.
Then with the game on the line with the Rams leading by six and the Patriots having the ball with less than two minutes remaining, Kamren Kinchens intercepted Maye to seal the victory.
Overall, it wasn’t Chris Shula’s defense’s best performance, but they made the plays they needed to make down the stretch to secure the victory and get the Rams back to .500.
What’s next for the Rams
The Rams have one of their toughest games of the season coming up as they will host the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday Night Football in Week 12.
Given their early-season struggles, this is a game the Rams really need to win to ensure they stay in the playoff mix.