Will Drake Maye continue to improve and will Patriots get off to a fast start vs. Rams?
FOXBORO -- The New England Patriots have some momentum on their side heading into their Week 11 tilt with the Los Angeles Rams. The Patriots have won two of their last three games and are feeling really good about themselves after last week's road win over the Bears.
However, the Rams are a much different beast than the Bears. Los Angeles is better than its 4-5 record, and this is a very important week for the Rams and their postseason chances. They'll be extremely eager to bounce back after last week's loss to the Dolphins on Monday Night Football.
Can the Patriots play spoiler and win back-to-back games for the first time since 2022? Jerod Mayo will be matching his defensive wits with the incredibly gifted offensive mind of Sean McVay, while Drake Maye will look to continue his rise in the New England offense.
It won't be an easy matchup for the Patriots, but they'll have a chance to build off last week's victory. Here's what we'll be watching for when the Patriots host the Rams on Sunday afternoon.
Patriots O-Line vs. Rams pass rush
The New England offensive line has been a huge storyline all season. But the team is finally at the point where there's some continuity with the group, as we'll likely see the same line Sunday that played last week in Chicago and finished off the team's OT loss to the Titans in Week 9.
And that line -- comprised of Vederian Lowe at left tackle, Michael Jordan at left guard, Ben Brown at center, Mike Onwenu at right guard, and Demontrey Jacobs at right tackle -- has enjoyed some success this season. Sunday would be the group's fourth start overall, and they've held opponents to a sub-40 percent pressure rate in their three previous starts. The Bears were held to a 37.9 pressure rate last weekend.
The Pats' line will be tested by a really solid Rams pass rush on Sunday, as Los Angeles has the second-best pressure rate in the NFL at 41.9 percent. That's pretty impressive considering Aaron Donald retired over the offseason and defensive coordinator Raheem Morris left to become head coach of the Atlanta Falcons.
Chris Shula is now the DC in Los Angeles, and he's getting good seasons out of defensive tackle Kobe Turner and linebacker Byron Young -- both of whom have five sacks on the year -- and a strong rookie campaign out of linebacker Jared Verse. The 19th overall pick in last year's draft has 4.5 sacks on the year, with 3.5 of those coming in the last three weeks. One of those sacks resulted in Verse recovering a fumble that he forced on Miami's Tua Tagovailoa last Monday.
Los Angeles also touts a much better run defense than Chicago, holding opponents to just 3.8 yards per carry -- good for eighth in the NFL. But the Rams struggle against screen passes, so that should be an element that Alex Van Pelt sprinkles into the New England offense this weekend.
Drake Maye on the run -- and avoiding turnovers
Given some of the hits that he's taken at the end of his scrambles, it's always an adventure when Maye takes off. But it will be an important part of the New England offense this weekend against the L.A. pass rush.
Maye's ability to run has not only led to the quarterback picking up some big yards on the ground, but it's helped the Patriots offense extend plays that wouldn't normally be there. The Rams had trouble with Tagovailoa on Monday night when he extended plays with his legs, so it'll be key for Maye to keep the pressure on the L.A. defense.
Maye's next step will be hitting on those plays on a more consistent basis and not turning the ball over. He bought some time on a play against the Bears before trying to throw the ball away, but instead threw it right to linebacker T.J. Edwards for an easy interception.
Maye is harder on himself than anyone else, and he knows that he can't put his team in those difficult situations. Mistakes are expected out of a rookie quarterback, but a big step in his development is not becoming a repeat offender -- especially when it comes to turning the ball over.
New England's third-down defense
It's amazing what good can come from the defense getting off the field on third down. The Patriots' defense was on point in those gotta-have-it situations last Sunday, holding the Bears to just 1-of-14 on third down. Chicago's only third-down conversion came in the third quarter, though it didn't amount to anything as they punted four plays later.
New England will face a much tougher opponent this Sunday in Matthew Stafford and a talented Rams offense, but Los Angeles has been struggling on third down as of late. Over the last three games, the Rams have converted just 28.57 percent of their third-down plays on offense.
The Rams were just 3-of-12 on third down in last week's loss to the Dolphins, and are converting 34.58 percent percent of their third-down plays (37-of-107) for the season. That has them ranked 25th in the NFL -- only slightly better than the New England offense and its 34.56 percent success rate on third down.
The Patriots' defense has allowed opponents to convert on 41.27 percent of third downs this season, but just 30 percent over the last three games. Sunday will be another chance for the squad to improve that season-long percentage.
The pass rush will be important this weekend, as Stafford is a bit of a statue after the snap. The defensive front will be going against a much better offensive line than last week in Chicago, but the Rams have still had their struggles along the line. New England's pass rush will have to get creative and hope that the secondary can keep the likes of Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua, and Tutu Atwell in check. But the Patriots have a chance to build off last week's incredible success.
We'll especially be keeping an eye out for veteran newcomer Yannick Ngakoue, who had a full week of practice after being claimed late last week and will likely make his Patriots debut on Sunday.
Can Patriots get off to a fast start?
This weekend, the Patriots have the benefit of playing a West Coast team coming East for a 1 p.m. kickoff. The Rams are also coming off a short week to boot. Sounds like the perfect opportunity for the Patriots to hit them with a fast start and take control of the game early.
Fast starts haven't been a calling card of the Patriots this season. They've scored a touchdown in the first quarter just four times, and they won only one of those games. Last week, they managed just a field goal in the opening frame against the Bears.
The Rams haven't been getting off to the best of starts either. They had their fifth scoreless first quarter in Miami last week, and haven't scored a first-quarter touchdown in eight of their first nine games. Los Angeles has been outscored 56-13 in the first quarter so far this season.
We'll get you ready for Sunday's Patriots-Rams clash Sunday morning with Patriots GameDay at 11:30 a.m. on WBZ-TV and streaming online at CBSBoston.com! After the game switch over to TV38 for full reaction and analysis on Patriots 5th Quarter!