After two road games in a row that included a disappointing overtime loss to the Titans and a dominant defensive performance against the Bears, the Patriots will return home this weekend to face the LA Rams at Gillette Stadium.
The last time the Patriots were at home they pulled off an improbable win against the Jets and now they're looking to stack their third win in four weeks. But the Rams are a potent opponent. Despite losing to Miami on Monday Night Football, LA has a nice mix of proven veterans and young players who are starting to make a name for themselves.
Here's what to watch for!
Drake Maye: Maye helped lead the Patriots to their third win of the season last week and now faces a tough, up-and-coming young defense that has a disruptive front seven. Every week the rookie continues to stack valuable experience, but last week was his lowest passing yardage output of his four full starts, even with the rest of the team playing better around him. The ups and downs are sure to continue, but Maye must continue the overall upward trajectory. A target for improvement this week? Finishing inside the red zone. That could be an area Maye really starts to elevate the team, by scoring touchdowns.
"Scoring in the red zone and obviously my turnover, we've got to just keep on these little things that can kind of help build the complimentary football that Coach Mayo is preaching about," Maye said this week.
Rhamondre Stevenson: With 74 rushing yards, Stevenson posted his highest total in over a month against the Bears. The difference on the field with a functional run game picking up yards was obvious, yet the production can still be better and more impactful. The signs of life were promising, as Stevenson continues to pick up the tough yards even if he doesn't have a lot of volume. If the Patriots are to keep the Rams pass rush at bay, getting Stevenson going is the most direct route.
Kayshon Boutte: Boutte had a career high four catches against the Bears as he continues to impress in his second season and show a developing chemistry with Drake Maye. On the year, Boutte now has 17 catches for 250 yards and one touchdown. Maye has targeted Boutte downfield plenty of times this season, but it's the short and mid-range connections that are promising developments. The offense continues to need more production from their receivers and Boutte is one who seems to keep getting better each week.
Keion White: After starting the season off with four sacks in two games, it took until last week's eighth game of the season for him to get his fifth sack. That quiet stretch is deceiving, as White has continually been disruptive even if he isn't officially finishing plays off with sacks. His 39 QB pressures are 20 more than second-place Deatrich Wise (19). White has been a bright spot for the pass rush and if he carries over his play from the Bears game he could have another productive day against a Rams offense that allowed four sacks against Miami on Monday night.
Yannick Ngakoue: The Pats grabbed Ngakoue after he was released by the Ravens, adding a veteran pass rusher who should at the very least be able to give the defense some juice off the edge in passing situations. Ngakoue has some highly productive seasons in his past, he had 37.5 sacks in his first four seasons with the Jags, and even as recently as 2022 he posted 9.5 sacks with the Colts. The Patriots offense can use whatever Ngakoue has left in the tank, as well as his veteran leadership. Since Josh Uche was traded they've lacked a pure edge rusher to complement their interior pieces like Keion White who are playing at a high level. Ngakoue should get plenty of opportunities to get after the quarterback, assuming the early down run stoppers do their jobs.
Matthew Stafford: Stafford has continued to battle through this season at age 36 and has still flashed some of the magic he's become known for with two game-winning drives despite the team's 4-5 record. On the season he's thrown nine touchdowns to seven interceptions and is coming off a frustrating loss to the Dolphins in which he completed nearly 70 percent of his passes for 293 yards but failed to lead the Rams to a touchdown in the contest. The key culprits? A 3-for-12 day on third down and three drives inside the red zone that all ended with field goals instead of touchdowns. Stafford remains one of the most experienced quarterbacks in the league and continues to play at a high rate. He'll challenge the Patriots secondary as the Rams look to stay in the NFC playoff race.
"When I look at this team, especially offensively, it starts with the quarterback, a guy like Matt Stafford who's done it at a high level for a very long time," said Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo this week. "I don't think he gets the credit that he deserves, but he is a very accurate passer, can make all the throws, and just because he's older, doesn't mean that he can't move around in the pocket a little bit."
Kyren Williams: The 2022 5th-round pick had a breakout year in 2023, rushing for 1,144 yards and 12 rushing touchdowns, leading the NFL in rushing yards per game (95.3). His yardage production has fallen off a bit in his third season, registering 664 yards, but his eight touchdowns illustrate how he's maintained his effective scoring pace. The Rams rushing offense has been mostly stagnant this season, ranking 26th in yards, 31st in yards-per-attempt and 18th in DVOA, but Williams is an effective running back, especially in the red zone, who will gash the Patriots if they don't bring similar effort to what they demonstrated last week against the Bears.
"Kyren [Williams] does a good job. He's in there the majority of the time," said Mayo. "Anytime a back is in there over 80 percent of the time, you look at this guy as a three-down back and really can do it all. He can do it all."
Cooper Kupp & Puka Nacua: This is one of the most dangerous receiving duos in the league and, after combining to miss nine games, both are now getting back up to speed within the Rams offense. They combined for 16 catches for 178 yards against the Dolphins, a sure sign that Kupp and Nacua will be a major problems for the Patriots to deal with. Last week against the Bears, New England's coverage was outstanding for the entirety of the game. They'll need to play up to the same level this week with special attention for the Rams two studs.
'The receiver position, those guys are definitely good competitors," said Mayo. "[Cooper] Kupp's been doing it for a long time, multiple hundred reception seasons. He's just an all-around good player, but it's not just him, the other guys. Turned the Seattle game on, the plays they made at the end of the game where they just refused to be denied as far as catching the ball, and obviously they pulled that one out."
Byron Young: After bursting onto the scene as a rookie and picking up eight sacks and 19 QB hits, Young has continued to emerge in his second season, leading the team with five sacks and 10 QB hits. Young is particularly hot coming into this game against the Patriots, registering a sack in each of the last three games with six QB hits. The Patriots offensive line allowed just one sack last weekend in Chicago, they'll need a similar effort to contain Young, who will line up on both sides of the offense.
Kobie Turner: With Young on the edge, they also found a disruptive interior defensive tackle to go next to him in the 2023 draft with third-round pick Kobie Turner. Like Young, Turner was immediately productive as a rookie, registering nine sacks and 16 quarterback hits. Similar toYoung, Turner is on a bit of a hot streak with sacks in both of his last two games along with four total QB hits. Young and Turner are among a group of talented Rams defenders who are getting better each week, with rookies Braden Fiske and Jared Verse also near the top of the team's sack leaderboards. Aaron Donald might no longer be causing problems for the Rams defense but they've been quickly rebuilding with quality draft picks over the last three seasons that have all been productive.
"I would argue to say this is one of the best fronts that we have seen all year," said Mayo. "It's a young group, and they do it the right way. They play the right way. They play together. They hustle. They're all over the place. Our offensive line, they've got to step up."
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