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Matchup Recap Summary

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Week 16

Weekly
Grade
New England Patriots
11-5 498.6
381.71
 
VS
proj
Los Angeles Rams
436.4 9-7
332.8

New England Patriots smirk at predictions, earn win against Los Angeles Rams, 498.6-436.4

Both teams rose to the occasion, but New England Patriots knocked off Los Angeles Rams, emerging victorious with a 498.6-436.4 win. Los Angeles Rams grabbed a 29.4-point lead on Saturday behind Chris Godwin (24.4 points) and the Miami Dolphins defense (5), but New England Patriots held the lead the rest of the way. They were led by Ben Roethlisberger, who passed for 342 yards and 3 touchdowns for 168.98 points, and Justin Herbert, who passed for 253 yards and a touchdown and ran for 26 yards (102.22 points). Jared Goff (103.16 points) and Drew Brees (102.14) were the leaders for Los Angeles Rams in the loss. This marks the first time this season New England Patriots have knocked off Los Angeles Rams, after falling 542.34-481.66 in their last matchup. New England Patriots end the season with a record of 11-5, while Los Angeles Rams finish the campaign at 9-7.

Matchup Timeline

  New England Patriots   Los Angeles Rams

Inside the Matchup

Matchup Player of the Week

Smith-Schuster overachieved for the eighth time this season, scoring 33.6 points against his 18.47-point projection. During a 28-24 win over the Colts, he caught 9 passes for 96 yards and a touchdown.
JuJu Smith-Schuster

Top Player Comparison

New England Patriots
Points
% of total points 498.6
1
Ben Roethlisberger
QB
168.98
92.39
33.9%
2
Justin Herbert
QB
102.22
96.98
20.5%
3
JuJu Smith-Schuster
WR
33.6
18.47
6.7%
4
Adam Thielen
WR
31.7
20.67
6.4%
Los Angeles Rams
Points
% of total points 436.4
1
Jared Goff
QB
103.16
47.26
23.6%
2
Drew Brees
QB
102.14
100.24
23.4%
3
Davante Adams
WR
64.2
31.76
14.7%
4
David Johnson
RB
36.9
18.93
8.5%

Matchup Highlights

Saturday
Chris Godwin had a 47-yard catch for Los Angeles Rams, helping the team to a 29.4-0.0 lead.
Sunday Early
There were multiple players with big-time moments on both teams early Sunday, but after all was said and done, New England Patriots emerged with a 286.1-148.1 lead. Ben Roethlisberger teamed up with JuJu Smith-Schuster for a 25-yard touchdown pass for New England Patriots. Roethlisberger also lit up the scoreboard with a 39-yard touchdown pass. Meanwhile, David Johnson had a 48-yard run for Los Angeles Rams, while Calvin Ridley had a 54-yard catch.

Points By Position

  New England Patriots   Los Angeles Rams

Game Notes

10 of the 14 starters on New England Patriots exceeded their projected point totals.
Los Angeles Rams lost despite 10 of their 14 starters scoring higher than their points projection.
Los Angeles Rams could have used points from Corey Davis and Keenan Allen, as both put up goose eggs.
Both teams put up more points than their season scoring average.
Both teams scored more than their projected point total.
The matchup's 62.2-point margin was the closest in the league this week.
This loss snaps a two-game winning streak for Los Angeles Rams.
Not only did New England Patriots win, but they also covered the 48.91-point forecasted margin of victory.

Coach Talk

New England Patriots
Listen, New England Patriots, we certainly appreciate the confidence. Fielding a starter with negative points (the Tennessee Titans defense) while still earning the W... that's borderline arrogant. All we ask is to please limit that flashy, show-off type of stuff to the regular season. Try it in the postseason and we're toast.
Los Angeles Rams
Unless Los Angeles Rams wants to go full diva-mode, then "not seeing enough chances" isn't really an excuse this time around. Our six pass-catchers (five WR and one TE) were targeted a grand total of 47 times in Week 16. With just 28 total catches, that group may need to work on chemistry with their QBs.