Patriots Felt They Controlled Game Vs. Rams, But Did They?

FOXBORO, Mass. — The Patriots did several things well Sunday. They did not do enough well, especially in key situations to beat the Los Angeles Rams as New England fell to 3-8.

There’s plenty to learn from as this game goes in the loss column for New England, but there was a collective narrative from the Patriots postgame: They controlled the game and played well enough to win.

“I never really felt like they had control of the game,” New England head coach Jerod Mayo said. “I felt like we had control of the game.”

“We let that slip away,” DeMario Douglas said. “We hurt ourselves.”

“We thought we should have won the game,” Davon Godchaux said. “I thought we were a better team.”

Yes, the Patriots won the time-of-possession battle by nearly 15 minutes. They were better on third down. They had more first downs. They had a better day on the ground than the Rams.

Those are all true. With that said, the Rams made big plays all day long. Matthew Stafford had four touchdown passes and struck quick on the Patriots, though New England’s mindset never changed.

“I think they got some momentum on that, but I feel like we were still in control of the game, honestly,” Rhamondre Stevenson said.

Ultimately, the game was decided away from the areas the Patriots won in. The game came down to red zone efficiency and late-game execution. The Rams scored touchdowns when the Patriots kicked field goals, and Los Angeles made plays in the final minutes. No, the Rams weren’t perfect. They moved the chains with key first-down pickups, one courtesy of Puka Nacua during a standout performance, but the Patriots still got the ball back on a third-down pass breakup from Jonathan Jones.

Ultimately, the Patriots did not take advantage of a potential game-winning drive when Drake Maye and DeMario Douglas did not end up on the same page of a deep throw down the middle that Rams defensive back Kamren Kinchens intercepted to seal the game.

So sure, the Patriots controlled areas of the game, but they did not control enough of the game to take down a Super Bowl-winning coach-quarterback combination in Sean McVay and Stafford.