{"id":9539,"date":"2016-12-02T06:00:28","date_gmt":"2016-12-02T11:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/?p=9539"},"modified":"2016-12-04T08:10:34","modified_gmt":"2016-12-04T13:10:34","slug":"patriots-rams-key-matchups-razors-edge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2016\/12\/02\/patriots-rams-key-matchups-razors-edge\/","title":{"rendered":"Patriots – Rams Keys, Who Has the Razor’s Edge?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The New England Patriots<\/strong><\/a> return home to Gillette Stadium for a game against the Los Angeles Rams. The kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.<\/p>\n

This week\u2019s game will be televised by Fox Sports and can be seen locally on Fox 25 Channel 25 in Boston. Kevin Burkhardt will handle play-by-play duties with John Lynch as the color analyst. Pam Oliver will work the sidelines. The game will also be aired on the Patriots flagship radio station 98.5 The SportsHub with Bob Socci and Scott Zolak on the call, produced by Marc Cappello.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Patriots<\/strong>\u00a0(9-2) improved to 6-0 on the road this season with a 22-17 win over the New York Jets. Tom Brady led the game-winning drive with just over five minutes to go and tossed the winning touchdown pass to Malcolm Mitchell. The rookie WR had two touchdowns on the day. Brady passed the 60,000-yard plateau in his career and the comeback win was his 50th<\/sup> with career win #200 tying Peyton Manning for the all-time lead for quarterbacks.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Rams <\/strong>(4-7) lost a blowout contest in New Orleans 49-21 to the Saints. The Rams defense which had allowed only 50 points in the previous four games allowed nearly that to Drew Brees and the Saints.\u00a0 The good news was however that rookie QB Jared Goff in just his second NFL start tossed three touchdowns.<\/p>\n

We here at\u00a0PatsFans.com<\/a>\u00a0are continuing our \u201cRazor\u2019s Edge\u201d\u00a0column in 2016 to give some quick\u00a0analysis on some of the key matchups of the game and what you can look for in how the game plays out.<\/p>\n

Series History:<\/strong>
\nThe Patriots and Rams are meeting for the just the 13th<\/sup> time as they are pretty unfamiliar with one another. The two teams did meet in Super Bowl XXXVI with the Pats upsetting the heavily favored Rams 20-17. Although the Patriots hold an overall 7-5 edge in the 12 contests dating back to 1974, they are just 2-3 at home.<\/p>\n

The Pats have won the last four meetings with the last a 45-7 win in London back in 2012. Tom Brady threw for four touchdowns, two to Rob Gronkowski and two to WR Brandon Lloyd.<\/p>\n

Here is a look at some of the key matchups and who holds the Razor\u2019s Edge.<\/p>\n

First up is the Patriots offense:<\/p>\n

Patriots RBs vs Rams Front Seven –\u00a0Razor\u2019s Edge New England
\n<\/em><\/strong>The Patriots rushing offense is averaging 115.8 yards per game and although the running game wasn\u2019t featured a week ago against the Jets, the Patriots did a solid job of running when they did, gaining 95 yards on just 18 carries before Tom Brady did a couple of kneel-downs to end the game.<\/p>\n

The Patriots now have a legitimate three-headed rushing attack with LeGarrette Blount handling the big back duties with James White and Dion Lewis running the change of pace duties. Blount has had a fantastic year, gaining 869 yards with 12 touchdowns.<\/p>\n

The Rams have a fast, physical front seven but have been up and down against the run. Linebackers Alec Ogletree and Mark Barron are the play-making run stuffers with the front four setting the table. They allow an average of 112.3 yards per game.<\/p>\n

Look for the Patriots to mix things up with a lot of LaGarrette Blount and mixing in Lewis and White to keep the defense honest. Against their nickel base look, the Patriots should find success running between the tackles. The key matchup is C David Andrews against the big DT Michael Brockers.<\/p>\n

Patriots WRs vs Rams Secondary –\u00a0Razor\u2019s Edge New England
\n<\/em><\/strong>The Patriots passing game has plenty of weapons for Tom Brady to bring to bear against a stingy pass defense of the Rams. With Martellus Bennett filling in for Rob Gronkowski, expect the Patriots to show much more three and four wide receiver looks on offense. With Julian Edelman, Chris Hogan, Malcolm Mitchell and Danny Amendola, they can pressure the coverages of the Rams.<\/p>\n

LA has been good against the pass allowing just 227.5 yards per game in 2016. Last week in New Orleans was an anomaly rather than the norm. Despite not having a ton of sacks (22) the Rams can get after the passer and bring pressure. The guy they\u2019ll look to is DT Aaron Donald who can collapse the pocket from the interior. DE Robert Quinn is a beast on the edge.<\/p>\n

While the Rams have been solid in pass defense, look for Brady to hit on the short strikes using the quickness of the receivers off the line. With the \u201cPony\u201d backfield of James White and Dion Lewis in the passing game, there will be too many weapons to guard against and the Patriots should find success throwing the ball. Once they can establish the short passing game, look for Brady to use Hogan and Mitchell and try to test the deeper throws down the field.<\/p>\n

Next up the Los Angeles offense:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Rams RBs vs NE Front Seven –\u00a0Razor\u2019s Edge Los Angeles
\n<\/em><\/strong>The Rams have been one of the worst teams in the league at running the football in 2016. While many point\u00a0at Todd Gurley having a sophomore slump, much of their struggles have to do with an offensive line that hasn\u2019t played well.<\/p>\n

The Rams are averaging only 83.1 yards per game and Gurley, after a stellar 2015 season has struggled to gain\u00a0just 641 yards on 200 carries which works out to a sub-standard 3.2 yards per carry.\u00a0 Benny Cunningham is their change of pace back with 102 yards on the ground, a much more effective 5.1 yards per carry and can catch the ball out of the backfield.<\/p>\n

The Patriots have done a good job against the run in 2016 allowing just 99.5 yards per game. Malcolm Brown and Alan Branch have done a solid job of slowing things at the point of attack allowing the linebackers like Dont\u2019a Hightower to clean up. The Patriots will want to slow the run and force Goff into passing situations.<\/p>\n

With Branch facing a four-game suspension this week, I think the Patriots may be a little susceptible on the ground this week. Vincent Valentine will fill in his absence but the Patriots are thin there. Woodrow Hamilton is the sole backup and he missed practice on Thursday.<\/p>\n

Rams WRs vs NE Secondary-\u00a0Razor\u2019s Edge New England
\n<\/em><\/strong>The Rams passing game has struggled in 2016 with Case Keenum under center despite having some quality weapons in Kenny Britt, Tavon Austin, speedster Brian Quick, TE Lance Kendricks and Gurley out of the backfield.<\/p>\n

Coach Jeff Fisher went with their first-round rookie selection Jared Goff to start at QB the past two games and he responded with a solid effort in New Orleans, tossing three touchdowns. But in just his third NFL start and looking for his first win, he\u2019ll have a tough time against a Bill Belichick\/Matt Patricia led defense.<\/p>\n

The Patriots have struggled at times defending the pass, allowing 253.6 yards per game. The pass rush has struggled to get home. But they\u2019ve allowed only 17.9 points per game which is third best in the NFL.<\/p>\n

The Patriots will try to throw some different looks at the rookie signal caller and keep the play in front of them. Goff will try to hit some deep patterns and must resist the temptation to force things. He\u2019ll get some yardage here but I think their passing game won\u2019t have the kind of success that they\u2019ll need.<\/p>\n

Special Teams-<\/strong>\u00a0Razor\u2019s Edge Los Angeles<\/em><\/strong>
\n<\/em>The Patriots special teams have been up and down all season. Last week Stephen Gostkowski missed another field goal although he did make three others and hit on his extra point attempt. Ryan Allen has been solid this season with a 40.9-yard net average on his punts. The coverage units have been good although the return team could use a jolt.<\/p>\n

The Rams have an outstanding STs unit and it begins with punter Johnny Hekker. He was lavishly praised by Belichick this week and with good cause. He\u2019s one of the best punters in the NFL. He has a stellar 46.7-yard average with a net of 44.9.\u00a0 He\u2019s had 35 kicks inside the 20 with only a single touchback. Their coverage units have been outstanding and they boast the dynamic Austin as their punt returner.<\/p>\n

Next up, who wins and why\u2026<\/p>\n

Prediction:
\n<\/strong>This game is a mismatch on paper as the Rams have struggled to score points all season long and there\u2019s no way they\u2019ll be able to keep pace with the Patriots if they can get off to a quick start.<\/p>\n

But with Aaron Donald, he can be a difference-maker with his interior pressure on Sunday. The Rams will have to get to and disrupt Brady if they want to win. \u00a0If the Patriots OL can keep the pass rushers at bay, Brady will pick them apart. On the flip side the Rams offensive line has been leaky, especially left tackle Greg Robinson who was a healthy scratch last week. He\u2019ll return on Sunday and either Trey Flowers or Jabaal Sheard has to make him pay.<\/p>\n

The Patriots, sans Branch on the defensive front four, will try to stop Gurley this week, and if they do then this should be a blowout. Goff just doesn\u2019t have the experience yet to recognize some of the looks that Belichick will throw at him. For you stat geeks, rookie QBs looking for their first NFL win in Foxboro are 0-21 facing Bill Belichick.<\/p>\n

Look for Brady to work the short stuff and then take some deep shots to Hogan and Mitchell. Lewis and White will be frequent targets out of the backfield. Blount will be the closer with the running game. The defense will get a turnover or two this week. \u00a0Patriots 31-13<\/strong><\/p>\n

Follow me on Twitter\u00a0<\/em>@SteveB7SFG<\/em><\/a>\u00a0or email me at\u00a0<\/em>stevebpatsfans@gmail.com<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Listen to our\u00a0<\/em>Patriots 4th<\/sup>\u00a0and 2<\/em><\/a>\u00a0podcasts on blog talk radio as the writers Russ Goldman, Derek Havens and I from\u00a0<\/em>PatsFans.com<\/em><\/a>\u00a0discuss the latest Patriots news Wednesdays at 12 noon.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With the \u201cPony\u201d backfield of James White and Dion Lewis in the passing game, there will be too many weapons to guard and the Patriots should find success.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":9447,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_pfeai_meta_description":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1198,11],"tags":[1066,800,1258,34,1254,46,599,18,204,154,16,1251,620,17,1253,24,15,930,44,70,8,38,270,247,248,117,36,1259,708,1252,1257,13,35],"class_list":["post-9539","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl-commentary","category-patriots-commentary","tag-2016-nfl-season","tag-2016-patriots-season","tag-aaron-donald","tag-bill-belichick","tag-brian-quick","tag-buffalo-bills","tag-chris-hogan","tag-danny-amendola","tag-dion-lewis","tag-donta-hightower","tag-jabaal-sheard","tag-jared-goff","tag-jeff-fisher","tag-julian-edelman","tag-kenny-britt","tag-lagarrette-blount","tag-malcolm-butler","tag-martellus-bennett","tag-new-england-patriots","tag-nfl","tag-patriots","tag-patriots-edge-rushers","tag-pats","tag-picks","tag-predictions","tag-rob-gronkowski","tag-rob-ninkovich","tag-robert-quinn","tag-st-louis-rams","tag-tavon-austin","tag-todd-gurley","tag-tom-brady","tag-trey-flowers"],"yoast_head":"\nPatriots - 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