The Los Angeles Rams enjoyed an impressive win over the New England Patriots on Thursday night to remain in control of the NFC West going into the final stretch of the 2020 NFL season.
With the victory, they also got a small dose of payback for their loss in Super Bowl LIII. Not only was the ground game clicking on all cylinders, the defense put together another stellar performance to coincidentally hold the Patriots to three points on the evening.
Although the team did what they could to downplay the notion of revenge, defensive lineman Michael Brockers acknowledged that there was a sense of added motivation, per ESPN’s Lindsey Thiry:
“We definitely wanted that payback, definitely wanted to get our revenge from the Super Bowl,” Rams defensive lineman Michael Brockers said after the game.
Rams head coach Sean McVay added that while the prospect of getting payback was hard to ignore, this regular season win does little to repair the heartbreak of a Super Bowl loss:
“It enters my mind because that’s all you guys ask me about. So, you know, I’m just kind of kidding a little bit, but no,” McVay said, adding that redemption “doesn’t get back the hurt and the scars of that night. I can promise you that.”
Rams quarterback Jared Goff had a better game than he did last time he squared off against the Patriots’ defense after throwing for 137 yards and registering two total touchdowns. Of course, it was running back Cam Akers that served as the focal point of the offense by running for 171 yards on 5.9 yards per carry.
Meanwhile, the defense proved once again why they are arguably the best unit in the league. Defensive tackle Aaron Donald led the way with 1.5 sacks while linebacker Kenny Young finished as the team’s leading tackler, recorded a sack and the longest pick-six of the 2020 NFL season.
As McVay said, the win does little to remove the sting of the Rams loss in the Super Bowl, however, it does move them one step closer to securing an opportunity for another shot at the title this time around.
L.A. has a few extra days to rest before preparing for an ideal matchup against the winless New York Jets in Week 15. They will need to establish all the momentum they can get leading up to their pivotal matchup versus the Seattle Seahawks the following week.
