Rams Reacts Survey: Matchup vs. Patriots now a must win game after loss to Dolphins

On paper, LA should have the advantage this week when they face rookie QB Drake Maye and New England

The Los Angeles Rams are coming off their first loss in almost a month, and unfortunately it was a blow to their playoff chances and the fan base’s confidence in the team. While the Rams are not out of the playoff hunt, losing a winnable game to the Miami Dolphins will make the path that much harder.

According to our fan survey, confidence in the team has plummeted after the loss from 95%, the highest number all season, down to just 41%. The rollercoaster continues for the Rams Reacts surveys, going from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows. While a drop is always expected after a loss, the steep difference between 95% and 41% shows how disappointed fans were in the team for losing the game to Miami in the fashion they did.

Still, LA faces a favorable matchup this week against the struggling New England Patriots, who are in the thick of a rebuild with a rookie quarterback.

At the time of this article, the Rams come into Sunday’s game as favorites over the Patriots at -4.5 according to FanDuel. Confidence in the Rams is much higher vs. New England than the overall season voting, as 70% of people think Los Angeles will cover.

It just seems like the Rams can’t seem to find a balance when it comes to their team. Early in the season the offense was playing better while the defense struggled through some major growing pains. Now, the defense has progressed and is currently playing to a top 10 level, but the offense is sputtering, not scoring a single touchdown last week.

It’s a confusing struggle considering that the team has most of it’s major players back that were missing on offense earlier in the season due to injury like Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua and Steve Avila. Until last week, the Rams offensive line gave up only one sack over three games, however vs. the Dolphins they gave up four. The reinsertion of Avila and center Jonah Jackson is starting to look like a major mistake, shaking up a offensive line up that seemed to have found continuity weeks prior. It will remain to be seen if LA will turn back to rookie center Beaux Limmer, who was having a very good season filling in to this point.

With the loss to the Dolphins, and most of the NFC West winning last week, the Rams now find themselves two-games back in the division. A wild card playoff spot is getting further and further out of reach, so LA will need to keep pace in the West. Luckily they still have one game against each of the other three teams in the division, with wins over the 49ers and Seahawks already. LA will need to put out a better showing against the Cardinals the second time around, but going 3-0 in their remaining division games would be huge for their chances.

None of that will matter though if Los Angeles doesn’t take care of business vs. the Patriots on their home field. Head coach Sean McVay is 9-3 when playing in early window games in the eastern time zone. He will look to add to the win column this Sunday in New England.