Rams keys to victory: Offensive line must play better to beat Patriots

Can Rams offensive line find consistency against the Patriots?

The Los Angeles Rams will be looking to get back to .500 on Sunday against the New England Patriots. While the Rams should be expected to win, nothing is guaranteed for this team given how inconsistent they’ve been at times. If the Rams are going to go on a run and make the postseason, they need to find a level of consistency. Here are five keys to victory against the Patriots.

1. Offensive Line must improve from last week’s performance.

The Patriots defensive line has taken a step back this season, but they are also getting healthier and starting to find their groove. Christian Barmore is expected to return to action on Sunday which will provide a slight boost. This is a group that sacked Caleb Williams nine times last week and held D’Andre Swift under four yards per carry. Whether it’s Jonah Jackson at center or Beaux Limmer, the interior needs to give Stafford a clean pocket. Additionally, a lot will be expected of Warren McClendon on the right side.

To put it simply, the Rams offensive line has to be able to protect Matthew Stafford. If Stafford is uncomfortable in the pocket and the time isn’t there for routes to develop downfield, it could end up being a long day. This is a group that needs to win the battle in the trenches on Sunday. Another performance from last week and serious questions will need to be asked about the resources invested in that position group.

2. Disrupt Drake Maye in the Pocket

While he may not be getting the same attention as Jayden Daniels in Washington, a case can be made that Drake Maye has been the second-most impressive rookie quarterback this season. Maye isn’t the athlete of Daniels, but he still has the ability to make plays out of the pocket and out of structure. In fact, he’s been as about as good at it as Josh Allen.

Maye is going to make impressive throws from the pocket as well, but the Rams need to accept those and avoid the explosive plays out of structure. At the same time, if the Rams can get Maye to a point where he feels condensed in the pocket, opportunity is there for a turnover. Maye had fumbling problems during the preseason and has three so far during the regular season. Players like Braden Fiske and Jared Verse need to be ready to knock the ball loose of the opportunity is there.

3. Find some Rhythm in the Run Game

Statistically speaking, the Rams ran the ball respectively last week as Kyren Williams had 15 carries for 62 yards. With that said, it certainly didn’t feel that way during the game. Williams’ -0.4 rush yards over expected per attempt was the eighth-lowest for the week. The Rams committed to the run against the Seahawks with 22 carries, but Williams only averaged 3.1 yards per carry.

These were against relatively bad run defenses and the Rams struggled to find any rhythm in the run game. That then effects how the Rams are able to effectively run the offense. Over the last five games, the Patriots have allowed 837 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns. The Rams have to be able to get Williams going and take over this game on the ground.

4. Don’t beat yourself and give Patriots a window to win

The Rams have done one thing consistently well this season and that is beat themselves. They did it last week against the Dolphins. While the Patriots may not be a good team, they are a feisty one and a team capable of winning games. In fact, they’ve won two of their last three. One win came against the New York Jets who also have been susceptible to losing games due to self-inflicted errors. The other came against the Bears who the Rams lost to earlier this year. That doesn’t mention earlier in the year when the Patriots surprisingly beat the Bengals.

If the Rams keep this game low-scoring and turn it into a defensive ball of field position, that’s going to fit right into the Patriots’ favor. The Rams have to be able to take control of this game early and make the Patriots play a constant game of catchup.

5. Wide receivers must win on the outside

On defense, the Patriots play the second-highest rate of man coverage in the NFL at 39.3 percent. Stafford has the sixth-most dropbacks against man coverage this season, but has the ninth-lowest completion percentage at 52.1 percent while throwing five touchdowns to four interceptions. His quarterback rating of 73.2 also ranks 26th out of 31 qualifying quarterbacks.

Demarcus Robinson is the only Rams wide receiver that has consistently been able to win in man, while Cooper Kupp ranks outside the top-60 in win-rate against man. The Rams wide receivers have to be able to win on the outside. If the Patriots are allowed to operate in man, it forces to Stafford to make the difficult throws outside the numbers and makes it more difficult to run the ball. Robinson and Nacua have to be able to win on the perimeter.