Rams – New England: Will Patriots Surprise Again?
American football. NFL. Regular season. Week 14.
Week 14 of the NFL regular season will kick off on “Thursday Night Football”. The Los Angeles Rams, the new leaders of the NFC West Division, will play against the New England Patriots who are keeping their playoff hopes alive in the AFC East.
Rams achieved an important victory
The regular championship is nearing its end, which means that it ain’t over till the fat lady sings, as they say. Nothing is yet clear in the NFC West Division. Rams and Seattle have the same winning/losing ratio – 8-4. But Arizona is only 2 wins behind, and San Francisco is 3. The situation in the quartet may turn upside down after the final weeks.
Last weekend, Rams beat Cardinals, thus ensuring a breakaway from its main competitor in the playoffs. Once again, the Los Angeles defence proved to be excellent, not just stopping Kyler Murray, who although has 3 touchdowns, but only 173 yards and 1 interception, but also made the most important touchdown in the match – the 35-yard return of Troy Hill in the 4th quarter with a difference of 10 points. The final score was 38:28. The Rams made a huge step towards the playoffs.
The Patriots are still in the contenders
Despite the failure of week 4-7, when the Patriots lost 4 times in a row, Bill Belichick’s team is still fighting for the playoffs. In the last 5 matches, the Pats have 4 wins, including wins against the strong Ravens and the Cardinals. The gap from second place in the AFC East division is 2 wins. But the Patriots have direct rival matches ahead of them, Buffalo and Miami, where everything seems to be decided.
Last week, New England destroyed the Los Angeles Chargers in an away game – 45:0. Quarterback Cam Newton again did not pass, although he threw a touchdown once, but did 2 rushing touchdowns.
Injury Lists
- Rams: Terrel Lewis (LB), Brian Allen (C) – out. Cam Akers (RB), Michael Brockers (DT) – in doubt.
- New England: Nick Folk (PK), Javon Bentley (LB), Jonathan Jones (CB), Kyle Dugger (S), J.C. Jackson (CB) – in doubt.
The Rams v New England: head-to-head stats & records
The last meeting was the 2019 Super Bowl. The Pats, as you know, won 13-3.
Opponents also met each other in the 2002 Super Bowl. Then the Patriots were also stronger – 20:17.
| Date | Result |
| 02.04.19 | Los Angeles Rams – New England Patriots 3:13 |
| 12.04.16 | New England Patriots – Los Angeles Rams 26:10 |
| 10.28.12 | Los Angeles Rams – New England Patriots 7:45 |
| 10.26.08 | New England Patriots – Los Angeles Rams 23:16 |
| 11.07.04 | Los Angeles Rams – New England Patriots 22:40 |
Betting and Predictions from the Professionals
New England have been surprising recently. In theory, to guarantee the playoffs, the Pats need to win all the remaining matches. Why not start with the LA Rams? After all, it was close to victory with the equally strong Seattle. And in the past 5 weeks, the Pats have crushed both Arizona and Baltimore. Prediction – New England Patriots will beat the hide off once again. Besides the result, it is worth considering the performance predictions. It is unlikely that many points will be scored here. The defence of both teams is in perfect condition. If you’re looking to make your 2024 NFL picks, be sure to check out Vertical 23.
Betting options:
- New England’s win at odds of about 3.20;
- New England’s win with a handicap (+6.0) for about 2.00;
- total under 44.5 with odds around 1.90.