Rams vs Patriots ( LAR -4.5, 43.5)
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Los Angeles vs. New England | Sunday, November 17, 2024
Drake Maye’s impressive rookie season will continue this weekend with a tussle against the Los
Angeles Rams, who will visit the New England Patriots after a disappointing loss to the Miami
Dolphins on Monday Night Football. That particular loss will have been extra frustrating for
Rams fans as it came after two impressive wins over the Minnesota Vikings and Seattle
Seahawks, which appeared to set the team on a path to the playoffs. The NFC West is a
crowded pack this year, which means getting the job done against inferior opponents like the
Patriots is essential. LA really needs to win here to keep them in touch with the improving 49ers
and Cardinals.
The early stages of the season were frustrating for LA, with the team battered by injuries to their
receiver room and offensive line, but an almost healthy unit managed to land 30 points against a
good Vikings defense and 26 points on the Seahawks. It is a testament to Miami that they
managed to keep Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua, and Kyren Williams to just 15
points and no touchdowns last week, but this is a good bounce-back spot for the Rams in Week
11.
New England is conceding 130.5 rushing yards per game, which should allow the Rams to
control the game on the ground, and with the Patriots ranking middle of the pack when it comes
to passing yards allowed, Matthew Stafford should have some success as well. The Patriots'
sophomore cornerback Christian Gonzalez is having a good season, but they do not have the
talent in the secondary to stack up against the rest of the Rams' pass-catching group. The
reality is, this is a rebuilding Patriots team, and they should be no match for a Rams unit that
has its sights set on the postseason.
The most essential part of that Patriots rebuild is rookie quarterback Drake Maye, who has
made this a much more enjoyable team to watch ever since he took to the lineup. Jerod Mayo’s
decision to start Maye behind a weak offensive line and with minimal playmakers at his disposal
was controversial, but it has clearly paid off so far. On the season, Maye has completed 64.7%
of his passes for 954 yards, seven touchdowns, and five interceptions, which have mainly come
from just four fully completed games.
He is obviously making his fair share of rookie mistakes, but that is to be expected of a
quarterback who is just 22 years old, and he is at least balancing this out with several eye-
opening plays in every game. This week, he’s going to have his work cut out for him going up
against a resurgent Los Angeles Rams defensive line that is tied for the seventh-best pressure
rate in the NFL, at 27.1%. The Rams are getting fantastic production from their talented rookie
and sophomore defenders, led by Kobie Turner and Byron Young, who both have five sacks
apiece, closely followed by rookies Jared Verse and Braden Fiske who have 7.5 between them.
That spells danger for Maye behind his suspect Patriots offensive line.
If he can remain upright, though, the Rams have been susceptible to opposing quarterbacks,
conceding 219 passing yards per game, which ranks 22nd in the NFL. Hunter Henry is leading
the team in receiving yards with 428, with Demario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte also chipping
in with at least 250 yards each. This year is all about Drake Maye’s development, and testing
what talent lies in this young and inexperienced wide receiver room. A win here is going to be
hard for New England, but that might not be a problem, with every loss earning them a better
draft pick, which can be used on bolstering Drake Maye's offensive line or wide receiver corps.
J.A. Cavalier NFL Triple Crown 6-0 NFL Guarantee. 3 straight, 3 parlays. One Week NFL $99 must go 6-0 or entire NFL season free. Straight through Super Bowl.
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Junior Free PICK
Game Total Under 43.5