Ten Takeaways From the Patriots 28-22 Loss to the Rams

The New England Patriots entered Week 11 with some confidence. They had won two of their last three games and hadn’t lost in regulation in four weeks. The Patriots were coming off a nine-pack performance in last week’s 19-3 win over the Chicago Bears. They also had Christian Barmore playing his first game of 2024. There was cause for optimism in Foxboro with the Los Angeles Rams coming to town on Sunday.

That optimism rose as the Patriots started strong, getting out to an early lead. The Rams responded in kind, scoring twice to take a 14-7 first-half lead. New England scored before halftime to cut the lead to 14-0 heading into intermission. Unfortunately for the Patriots, the seven-point deficit proved too much to overcome.

Both quarterbacks played very well. Matthew Stafford completed 18 of 27 passes for 295 yards, and four touchdowns. Drake Maye countered by completing 30 of 40 passes for 282 yards and two touchdowns. But the big difference was the turnovers. The Rams veteran committed zero, while the Patriots rookie turned it over twice.

Also Read – Kelley: Drake Maye Is the Perfect Quarterback for New England

Ten takeaways from the Patriots 28-22 loss to the Rams in Week 11:

Patriots Strike First

After the teams traded punts to open the game, the New England Patriots took over at their 23-yard line with 8:39 to play in the first half. It took New England only seven plays to find their way into the end zone for the game’s first score. Drake Maye connected with DeMario Douglas twice on the drive for 42 yards. Austin Hooper picked up 19 yards on a recepti0n. The drive was capped off by a ten-yard touchdown pass from Maye to Kendrick Bourne, the wide receiver’s first score of the season. New England benched Bourne in Week 10, which made it extra special to see the veteran bounce back a week later.

Kendrick Bourne is back for the @Patriots!

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Patriots Put Points On the Board

New England wasted no time taking advantage of getting the ball back. On the first play, Drew Maye connected with Austin Hooper on a beautiful throw and catch for a 28-yard gain. The Patriots opted against playing conservative, converting a first down on fourth-and-one from the Chicago 18. Three plays later, Maye connected with K.J. Osborn in the end zone. It was an outstanding play by Maye to keep the play alive and find his target, but Osborn had stepped out of bounds before catching the ball, making it an illegal touch penalty. The Patriots settled for a 30-yard Joey Slye field goal and a 3-0 lead.

Kendrick Bourne is back for the @Patriots!

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Matthew Stafford Responds

Following the teams exchanging punts after New England’s touchdown, it was time for Los Angeles to put together a drive. With 12:23 remaining in the second quarter, the Rams began with the ball on their 20-yard line. It took nine plays and 5:05 of the game clock for L.A. to go 80 yards and tie the game. Stafford completed all five of his attempts on the drive for 59 yards and a touchdown. The drive ended with a five-yard completion to Cooper Kupp for the score to tie the game 7-7.

The New England Patriots coverage appeared lost on the play. Unfortunately for the Patriots, it was a preview of things to come in pass coverage.

Stafford to Kupp evens it up!

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Costly Turnover Leads to Points

The New England Patriots have been playing well. That said, their margin for error remains thin. Ball security is foremost among issues that hurt their chances of success. This was proven true in the second quarter. With the score tied 7-7 following the Kupp touchdown, the Patriots had the ball on their 7-yard line with 5:56 to play in the first half. Drake Maye dropped back to pass on third-and-three but was greeted by Los Angeles defensive lineman Braden Fiske. The Rams rookie began lined up on the end but stunted to the inside and nobody for New England blocked him. Fiske sacked Maye, who fumbled while being brought down. Kobie Turner recovered for the Rams, giving them possession at the Patriots 12-yard line.

Braden Fiske making his presence known.

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One play later, Stafford found Puka Nacua in the end zone for a touchdown. It gave the Rams touchdowns on consecutive offensive plays to go from a 7-0 deficit to a 14-7 lead.

Pass Defense Issues for New England

Before the game, an obvious area of concern for New England was the Rams’ passing attack. Los Angeles has two elite receivers, Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua. The Patriots have one elite coverage man in Christian Gonzalez. It was going to be up to the remainder of the Patriots defenders to do their jobs, assuming Gonzalez did his. In the first half that was not the case, as Nacua caught six passes for 117 yards and a touchdown.

Furthermore, the Patriots pass rush all but disappeared. A week after recording nine sacks against the Chicago Bears, New England failed to bring down Matthew Stafford once on Sunday. Instead of complimentary football, where solid coverage gives rushers more time or a fierce pass rush prevents longer coverage needed, the opposite took place on Sunday.

Punts Galore

The amount of offense to start the second half was close to zero. The more time that came off the clock, the less likely Chicago seemed to make a comeback. On that “must score” possession to start the second half, they went three-and-out. It started a trend of punting. Unfortunately for New England, their offense wasn’t doing anything, either. The creative and aggressive play calling from the second quarter was gone. The first seven possessions of the second half (four for the Bears, three for the Patriots) ended in punts.

The half began with Chicago on offense at their 30-yard line down 13-3. Seven possessions later, New England had the ball on their 46-yard line, leading 13-3 with 13:33 left in regulation. It felt like one score for the Bears would get them back in the game, or one by the Patriots would put it away. Finally, New England kicked a field goal on the eighth possession of the second half to increase their lead to 16-3.

Rams Take Control in the Second Half

Los Angeles kicker Joshua Karty missed a 26-yard field goal attempt to end the first half. It kept the Rams lead at 14-7. It also gave New England momentum heading into halftime despite the deficit. The Rams long wasted no time in the second half getting that momentum back. Two offensive plays into the second half Matthew Stafford hit Cooper Kupp. Jonathan Jones was in single coverage with no help over the top. When Kupp broke free of Jones’ grasp, there was nobody between him and the end zone. The wide receiver ran into the end zone for a 69-yard score, his second touchdown of the game, and a 21-7 Rams lead.

STAFFORD TO KUPP.

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Making Things Interesting

New England’s defense forced a three-and-out and got the ball back. Maye led another scoring drive down the field, beginning at the Patriots’ 11-yard line. They moved it down to the Rams’ 22-yard line before getting conservative and settling for a field goal to cut the deficit to six, 28-22. A Rams score would have put the game out of reach, but the Patriots defense held. Los Angeles opted to punt from the New England 35-yard line, giving the Patriots a final chance to win the game.

Comeback Falls Short

New England had the ball with 2:14 to play in regulation at their 10-yard line. They trailed 28-22 and needed a touchdown. After an incomplete pass, Drake Maye hit Kendrick Bourne for an 18-yard gain up the sideline. Alex Van Pelt then called a draw up the middle (Rhamondre Stevenson for four yards) before the two-minute warning. After the break, Maye was sacked for a seven-yard loss, forcing the Patriots to use a timeout. Maye looked for DeMario Douglas up the middle on the next play, but there appeared to be a miscommunication as Douglas was not looking for the ball and the pass sailed into the hands of Rams safety Kamren Kinchens.

Kam Kinchens secures the Rams win in New England!#LARvsNE pic.twitter.com/xIWhzNaVuT

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New England Needs More

One thing that appeared evident on Sunday is that the New England Patriots need more high-quality players. The Los Angeles Rams had Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua causing havoc throughout the game. Rookies Braden Fiske and Jared Verse made their presence felt on defense (though the Patriots generally did a nice job on Verse). It is not that the Patriots are lacking quality players but they simply need more of them. Perhaps some members of the current roster can develop into that. Maybe the team will add in the offseason through free agency and the draft.

New England didn’t look overmatched by Los Angeles in the game. But it did appear when the Rams needed to make a play, they had somebody who could do so. Or, more accurately, they had somebody on the other side of the ball they could pick on to get that play. The excellent work of the secondary, pass rush, and offensive line that helped them beat the Bears handily a week ago let New England down on Sunday.

New England Patriots Stars of the Game

First Star – Christian Gonzalez (4 tackles, QB hit, excellent coverage)

Second Star – Kendrick Bourne (5 receptions, 70 yards, TD)

Third Star – Drake Maye (30 of 40, 282 yards, 2 TD, INT, 27 yards rushing)