The Los Angeles Rams (4-5) enter a must-win situation this Sunday as they travel cross-country to battle the New England Patriots (3-7), a team coming off one of their few wins in what has been a struggle of a season. A win this week can put the Rams back in the divisional race.
In this episode of the Los Angeles Rams Insider Podcast, Rams on SI beat writer Tom Cavanaugh talks the struggling Patriots offense and gives his predictions on how the NFC West will shake out after their performances in Week 11.
The Rams will prep for the worst overall offense in the NFL this week as the Patriots average a league-low 271.1 yards per game. They are the second-lowest scoring offense, mustering just 16 points per game through 10 contests.
It has been a season filled with issues for first-year head coach Jerod Mayo and the Patriots. They have juggled between two different quarterbacks with veteran Jacoby Brissett starting the first five games of the season, earning a 1-4 record in that span.
Rookie quarterback Drake Maye was given the starting job after Brissett's failures. He has started four of the last five games, holding a 1-3 record with Brissett picking up his second win of the year in Week 8 when Maye was out with an injury.
The Patriots will start Maye against the Rams. Through six games, Maye has completed 64.7% of his passes for 954 yards, seven touchdowns, and five interceptions. He is the best option the Patriots have to offer and has shown flashes of success through his first year in the NFL.
The NFC West has a key matchup this week as the Seattle Seahawks (4-5) and San Francisco 49ers (5-4) will meet in San Francisco. The Seahawks are tied for last in the division along with the Rams while the 49ers are trying to become tied for first with the 6-4 Arizona Cardinals who are on a bye.
In classic 49ers fashion, they had slow start to the season and have put together back-to-back wins to earn a winning record for the first time since Week 1. All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey is back in the starting lineup and the 49ers are always a tough team to beat with him on the field.
The 49ers will win on Sunday afternoon, improving to 6-4 while the Seahawks, coming off a bye week, will lose their third-straight game and fall to the bottom of the division standings at 4-6.
In the Rams case, they will have a bounce back game from last week's disappointing performance against the Dolphins. They will take advantage of a bad Patriots team, improve to 5-5, and stay in contention in the division. They will need a few more wins down the stretch to enter the playoffs.
Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @RamsInsideronSI and @tcav30 and never miss another breaking news story again.
Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/rams/ as Los Angeles Rams Insider Podcast: Opponent Preview, Divisional Prediction.