4 takeaways from Patriots’ 28-22 loss to the Rams
The Patriots’ defense gave up four touchdowns and 402 total yards of offense against the Rams.
The good news? Drake Maye continues to look like a promising young QB in New England.
The bad news? New England’s defense severely regressed after last week’s dominant showing against the Bears.
Even with New England putting together one of its best showings on offense this season, a lackluster performance on defense and several failed opportunities to pile on points proved costly in the Patriots’ 28-22 loss to the Rams on Sunday.
With the loss, the Patriots fall to 3-8 on the season.
Here are four takeaways from Sunday’s loss in Foxborough.
New England’s defense shredded by Stafford and Co.
The Patriots’ defense submitted its best performance of the season last Sunday against the Bears — sacking Caleb Williams nine times and limiting Chicago to just 142 total yards.
But Sunday’s result may have validated that New England’s dominant defensive showing was more a result of the Bears’ personnel than a sign of a resurgence in Foxborough.
New England’s defense was absolutely shredded by Matthew Stafford, Puka Nacua, Cooper Kupp and the rest of the Rams on Sunday.
Stafford finished the game completing 18 of 27 passes for 295 yards and four touchdowns. The Rams generated 402 of total yards on offense, averaging 7.9 yards per play.
After failing to find the end zone in the first quarter, the Rams reeled off touchdowns on four of their next five drives. The lone drive where they didn’t score was at the end of the first half — when Rams kicker Joshua Karty missed a “gimmie” attempt from 26 yards.
Stafford has a stacked receiver group to throw to, no question. But New England’s defense did little to make the necessary adjustments to slow down the Rams’ aerial attack, with Christian Gonzalez spending most of the afternoon on the boundary instead of shadowing Nacua.
Fittingly, Nacua went off against the Patriots – finishing with seven catches for 123 yards and a touchdown.
New England’s inability to account for the slippery Nacua in the first half should have led to sizable adjustments. But the Patriots’ lone tweak at the start of the second half was to dial up a full-out blitz against Stafford.
The result? An untouched Stafford hitting Kupp for a 69-yard touchdown on L.A.’s second play of the third quarter.
Beyond the issues in New England’s secondary, the Patriots’ run defense also eroded from last week’s showing (107 total rushing yards for the Rams), while the Patriots’ pass rush only generated four QB hits and zero sacks.
The result was a frustrating loss for New England in what was another promising showing from Drake Maye under center.
Missed opportunities loom large
New England had several opportunities out of the gate to put the Rams on the ropes and put themselves on track for a second-straight win.
But beyond a stellar seven-play, 77-yard drive by Maye that resulted in a Kendrick Bourne touchdown in the first quarter, New England fumbled multiple opportunities to give itself some breathing room against a Rams team that can put up points in a hurry.
Beyond a costly strip-sack against Maye in the second quarter that led to a Nacua touchdown, New England’s other four drives in the first half all crossed midfield. Two of the team’s first three drives of the afternoon started within the Rams’ 40-yard line.
But New England only had 10 total points to show for it in the first half.
The Patriots’ first drive starting at the Rams’ 44 after a strong kick return from Javon Baker stalled out after Rhamodnre Stevenson was whistled for a chop block — and Kayshon Boutte dropped a potential third-down conversion. New England punted.
New England’s third drive began on Los Angeles’ 42 — with a 17-yard snag from Hunter Henry putting the Patriots on the Rams’ 15 … only for it to be negated off of an illegal formation penalty against Vederian Lowe. Rather than opt for a 55-yard field goal for Joey Slye, New England opted to punt.
The Patriots did end their half with a Slye field goal, but were unable to punch the ball into the end zone despite getting gifted several penalties by the Rams that moved the ball down the field in short order.
New England continued to leave points on the field in the second half. After Kupp’s 69-yard score, the Patriots responded with a 13-play, 62-yard drive that culminated in a 1st-and-goal situation at Los Angeles’ six-yard line.
Even with the Patriots running the ball well for most of the afternoon, New England was unable to respond with a touchdown — with boos erupting from the Gillette crowd after Jerod Mayo opted for a 25-yard field goal from Slye instead of opting for a 4th-and-2 play.
Even after a touchdown catch from Lowe in the fourth, New England squandered a chance to make it a one-possession game after Slye’s PAT was blocked, while a false start on Ja’Lynn Polk off of a 4th-and-1 in the fourth quarter forced New England to kick a field goal instead of running a play for the first down.
Given New England’s struggles with slowing down Stafford and the Rams’ offense all afternoon, the Patriots couldn’t get away with leaving so many points on the table.
Turnovers hinder an otherwise strong showing from Maye
It was far from a perfect afternoon from Maye, who coughed up his fourth fumble of the season on Sunday. That strip sack gave the Rams the ball on New England’s 12-yard line — leading to a 12-yard touchdown catch from Nacua just one play later.
Any hope of a late comeback was also halted when Maye threw an interception over the middle with under two minutes to go in regulation — with a miscommunication between him and DeMario Douglas proving costly.
But beyond those blemishes, Sunday stood as another promising showing from New England’s rookie QB — who completed 30 of 40 passes for 282 yards, two touchdowns and one interception..
Maye put together arguably the best quarter of his career in the first — routinely stepping up in the pocket against the blitz and hitting receivers in tight windows. Maye’s 10-yard touchdown throw to Kendrick Bourne in that opening quarter was a thing of a beauty, and stood as a strong response for Bourne after getting benched in Chicago.
As noted by ESPN’s Mike Reiss, Maye became the first Patriots QB with 100 passing yards and a passing TD in an opening quarter since Tom Brady on Oct. 21, 2019 at the Jets. Pretty good company to be in.
Despite those aforementioned failed opportunities to put points on the board, Maye did help New England generate 382 yards of total offense — the team’s highest total of the season.
Maye closed out a 10-play, 40-yard drive in the fourth quarter by hitting left tackle Vederian Lowe for a four-yard touchdown — making it a 28-19 game at the time.
New England’s defense followed that up by forcing a Rams punt for the first time since the first quarter. Maye responded with another promising drive — going 70 yards down the field and moving the ball all the way down to the 23-yard line.
Polk’s false start snuffed out any hope of New England ending that drive with a touchdown, with Slye making it 28-22 with less than five minutes to go.
Maye’s game-ending pick was a brutal conclusion to an afternoon filled with so much promise.
But if Maye continues to string together performances like he did on Sunday, the Patriots are going to be in many of these games down the stretch.
Barmore returns
After being sidelined since July due to blood clots, Christian Barmore made his return to the field on Sunday for New England. The 25-year-old defensive lineman was limited on Sunday given his lack of steady practice time, with Mayo primarily utilizing him in third-down situations.
Barmore’s final stat line may not jump off the page (three tackles), but his return should bode well for a Patriots defense in desperate need of playmakers.
Barmore was routinely double-teamed during his third-down snaps. If that continues this season, it should open up more opportunities for the rest of New England’s D-line to ramp up pressure and shut down running lanes.
Barmore’s return might not have factored into a win on Sunday, but it was a welcome sight for a Patriots’ defense that has clearly missed him all season long.
LIVE UPDATES
4:04: Final: Patriots fall to the Rams, 28-22.
4:02: Drake Maye’s pass is picked off while looking for DeMario Douglas over the middle.
That should do it.
3:55: It’s been a rough day for Jonathan Jones, but he makes a huge play to break up a game-ending catch from Nacua. Rams punting with 2:14 left.
3:43: Oooooof. New England continues to move the ball down the field, but a false start on Polk on a 4th-and-1 forces the Pats to kick a field goal instead of go for it.
It’s 28-22 Rams with 4:54 left.
3:36: The Rams can’t carry over momentum, punting for the firs time since the first quarter.
Maye and the Patriots starting at their own 11.
3:28: Vederian Lowe catches a touchdown. Yes, you read that right.
The big man catches a pass from Maye, but Slye’s kick is blocked.
It’s a 28-19 lead for the Rams, while New England G Michael Jordan is down on the ensuing play after the block.
Still a two-possession game.
3:23: Those penalties are keeping New England in the game. A 16-yard scramble from Maye has the ball on L.A.’s 22-yard line.
3:21: A three-and-out for New England somehow gets extended after a personal foul is whistled against the Rams. Now a facemask call leads to another 15-yard pickup for New England.
3:13: Patriots defense continues to get shelled today. After Kyren Williams reels off some chunk yardage on the ground, Stafford hits Colby Parkinson for a 19-yard touchdown.
It’s 28-13 Rams with 3:30 left in the third.
3:01: Patriots can’t convert on a goal-line situation and opt for a field goal. Plenty of boos at Gillette. Slye converts on a 25-yard field goal.
It’s 21-13 Rams.
3:00: Despite that Kupp TD, New England’s offense is still moving down the field with authority.
2:56: Marcus Jones getting some reps on offense.
2:48: New England’s defense has been completely cooked by Stafford and Co.
The Patriots give up a 69-yard touchdown to Cooper Kupp, who beats Jonathan Jones clean.
21-10 Rams lead.
An all-out blitz was catastrophic for New England’s defense.
2:33: Rams’ kick is no good. A huge break for New England entering halftime, with the Rams only up, 14-10.
2:30: Puka Nacua is absolutely shredding New England’s defense. Might want to put Christian Gonzalez on him.
2:21: New England can’t fully cash in with a touchdown, but Slye does connect on a 32-yard field goal.
It’s a 14-10 game with 1:52 left in the half.
2:14: Poor discipline from the Rams here has allowed the Patriots to move down the field here. A facemask call against L.A. now has New England on the Rams’ 20.
2:03: Just one play later, Nacua reels in a 12-yard touchdown. It’s 14-7 Rams.
2:01: Call stands — Rams take over on New England’s 12.
2:00: Do we have another tuck rule? Maye is strip sacked and the Rams recover. But the play is under review.
1:57: Javon Baker tries to hurdle a Rams player on a kick return. It doesn’t go well. Patriots starting this drive at their 20.
1:54: This game is tied up. Rams gain several chunk plays and end it with a TD catch from Kupp.
It’s a 7-7 game with 7:18 left in the half.
1:49: Good company to be in.
1:45: Patriots moving down the field and have a chance to tack on more points, but a brutal illegal formation penalty against New England puts them out of field goal range.
1:36: End First: Patriots lead, 7-0.
1:36: This is the best we’ve seen from Maye so far this season. Making throws in tight coverage and doing little in terms of feeling the pressure and making hurried throws.
1:30: Marcus Jones is banged up on that third down play. Seems to be walking off ok.
1:30: Patriots defense is once again standing tall — forcing a punt for the Rams. Barmore has been getting snaps on third-down, and is already getting double-teamed.
1:25: Through two drives, Maye is 7-for-9 with
1:23: Welcome back, Kendrick Bourne. He reels in a 10-yard touchdown from Maye.
7-0 Patriots.
1:20: Maye hits Douglas again for a major gain on third down. Patriots in the red zone.
1:18: A nice juke from Pop Douglas leads to a 14-yard gain.
1:15: Rams drive flames out after Kupp can’t reel in a catch from Stafford. Both Barmore and Ngakoue on the field for that third down.
1:12: Puka Nacua reels in a 38-yard catch.
1:07: Kayshon Boutte can’t reel in a pass from Maye, and Patriots end up punting.
1:04: Maye hits Henry for a nine-yard completion on a 3rd and 5.
1:03: Nice start – with Javon Baker returning the ball 46 yards. New England starting near midfield.
1:00: Rams win the coin toss. They defer — Maye and the Patriots’ offense will get the ball first.
12:44: Great to see Christian Barmore back on the field.
12:35: Former Red Sox lefty Chris Sale spotted at Gillette:
12:30: Patriots inactives:
Kyle Dugger is set to play after missing the last three games due to an ankle injury. Osborn is inactive, which should open up more snaps for Kendrick Bourne.
Christian Barmore and Yannick Ngakoue are also set to play, although Barmore’s snaps will likely be sparse.
12:15: Warmups are underway.
12:00: Greetings from Gillette!
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