[1:00 PM] Rams @ Patriots

Who will WIN this matchup?

Los Angeles Rams (4-7)

@ New England Patriots (9-2)

 

• Tom Brady is going for career win No. 201 to eclipse a tie with Peyton Manning while keeping the Patriots in the driver’s seat for the No. 1 seed in the AFC.

• The Rams feature the league’s lowest-scoring offense at 15.5 points per game and appear ill-equipped to keep up with New England’s high-powered offense, especially with rookie Jared Goff making his third career start.

• Los Angeles went four straight games scoring 10 points or fewer prior to last week’s 49-21 loss in New Orleans, a game in which it did all its scoring in the first half behind three scoring passes from Goff. The No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft has 348 yards in his first two games and is not getting much help from running back Todd Gurley, who is averaging 3.1 yards per carry and has rushed for only two touchdowns in his last eight games. Kenny Britt has been the top receiving target by a wide margin with 54 receptions for 788 yards and four scores. The Rams’ defense features a standout defensive tackle in Aaron Donald and ranked seventh against the pass at 227.5 yards per game.

• Brady battled an ailing knee to beat the New York Jets last week on a late touchdown pass, but he told a radio station on Thursday night that “I’ll be feeling a lot better than I was feeling last week.” The loss of Gronkowski is impossible to replace — he had three 100-yard games and 21 catches for touchdowns in Brady’s first four games after the quarterback returned from a four-game suspension. The Patriots have a nice backup play in tight end Martellus Bennett, who has three 100-yard games, while rookie Malcolm Mitchell and the return of running back Dion Lewis have added a spark to the passing game. New England ranks third with an average of 17.9 points permitted.

• New England is seeking its 14 straight 10-win season, second only to San Francisco (16).

 

StreakSmarts Pick: New England Patriots

Confidence: 7/10

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