Implied Totals
NE – 19.75
LAR – 24.25
O/U – 44
Key Injuries
While the Rams are as healthy as they’ve been all year entering this game, the Patriots have a laundry list of players who are questionable. Among them are Cam Newton, Ryan Izzo, Lawrence Guy, J.C. Jackson, and Jonathan Jones. While I anticipate most or all of these guys to be active, they’ve been limited in practice all week. Closely monitor the injury reports when building lineups for this slate.
Pace and Play Calling Tendencies
Both teams have been playing on the slower side in neutral situations over the last several weeks. Since Week 7, the Patriots have operated at the 10th-slowest pace and are running at a 55% clip in neutral situations. The best-case scenario for this game would be for the Patriots to be playing from behind so they’re forced to play a little faster.
The Rams are moving at about 27 seconds per play and have returned to their pass-heavy tendencies after running a ton early in the year. A lot of the field is going to lock in Cam Akers in this game, but stacking the passing game might make more sense.
