Patriots vs Rams Recap

New England edges St. Louis for 23-16 win

Offense: The rushing game was at a huge disadvantage with Laurence Maroney, Sammy Morris and Lamont Jordan all injured and unable to participate. Despite all of that, the Patriots managed to keep the game close and won 23-16 with a touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter. A short touchdown run and two field goals gave New England a 13-10 halftime lead and most of the yards came from short passing plays by Cassel. Kevin Faulk was the top rusher with 60 yards but the Patriots only averaged a little over 3 yards per carry and finished with 98 rushing yards for the game. The passing attack fared better with both Randy Moss and Wes Welker having 7 receptions and combining for 181 yards. It seemed New England was content to just keep the game within reach and give themselves a chance to win, which is exactly what they did. Three consecutive turnovers to start the third quarter, including a pair of Cassel interceptions was the only stretch where the offense really struggled. Other than that, they were okay considering the injuries to the runningbacks. A bright spot is Kevin Faulk appears to be a consistent ballcarrier with a lot of stamina, and he would be able to handle getting the majority of carries, especially late in a game. Responding to the come from behind victory, Cassel said," We're behind in the fourth quarter and it was up to us to come back in the face of a little adversity. There's going to be, I'm sure, a lot of tight games down the road." Next week, the Patriots face the struggling but still very dangerous Colts, and the offense will definitely have to put up points to win the game.

Defense: The Patriots didn't play their best defensive game but did enough to get the victory. The defensive line had some difficulties, letting Marc Bulger stand in the pocket and throw relatively untouched. Bulger rarely had to scramble and on some occasions, runningbacks got past the line with ease. With a few more games, the defensive line should hopefully be more in rhythm and able to be aggressive on the pass rush. Defending the pass is a challenge for the Patriots because the players are aging and getting slower and because the offense is less explosive so defensive stops are that much more important. The Rams threw for over 250 yards but only managed one offensive touchdown, on a 69-yard pass early in the second quarter. In the second half, the Patriots were able to contain the Rams, holding them to two field goals and stopping them quicker. Defending the deep pass isn't really a problem for now, but the Patriots are allowing too many yards after the catch on short routes. Three yard catches are turning into seven yard gains and that is setting up easy first down conversions for teams. A good thing is the run defense has improved over the course of this season and is making a difference. Next week against the Colts, the struggling pass defense will face a huge test and will be the deciding factor in whether the Patriots can remain competitive in the matchup. New England is always motivated to play the Colts but that energy needs to translate into better play on the field.

By Chad Fukuoka
ProFootball-fans.com New England Patriots Correspondent