Patriots fall to Rams by 28-22 final in Foxboro

The New England Patriots fell to 3-8 on the 2024 season after a 28-22 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday at Gillette Stadium.

Patriots quarterback Drake Maye was 30-of-40 for 282 yards, two touchdowns and an interception on the day (100.2 passer rating). However, he could not match Rams QB Matthew Stafford, who torched the Pats to the tune of 18-for-27, 295 yards, and four touchdowns through the air (142.7). Maye and the Patriots had the ball with under two minutes to go in regulation down just six, but a Maye interception iced the game.

After the teams each punted once to begin the game, the Patriots struck first. Maye drove the Patriots 77 yards in seven plays and capped the drive with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Kendrick Bourne. Receiver DeMario "Pop" Douglas made two catches for 42 yards as part of the drive.

The defense followed up with another stop, thanks to front-side pressure by linebacker Christian Elliss. The ensuing punt, however, pinned the Patriots down at their own 11-yard line to begin the next drive.

Despite moving the ball 57 yards offensively, the offense stalled after left tackle Vederian Lowe got flagged for illegal formation after he failed to line up on the line of scrimmage, negating a would-be third-down conversion. Despite being in range for a long field goal, the Pats elected to punt back to the Rams, and it bounced through the end zone for a touchback.

And the Rams took advantage of the Pats' miscues at the end of the previous possession, driving 80 yards in nine plays for their first touchdown. Matthew Stafford hit a wide-open Cooper Kupp near the right pylon for an easy score, and went 5-of-5 for 59 yards total on the drive.

The Patriots got the ball back at their own 20-yard line for a chance to answer, but they ended up with one of the worst possible results. Maye took a hard hit from behind by defensive end Braden Fiske and fumbled, then Kobie Turner recovered to get the ball right back to the Rams at the Pats' 12-yard line.

On the very next play, Stafford hit receiver Puka Nacua in the end zone for another touchdown, this time a highlight-reel grab by Nacua. The extra point was good and the Rams went up 14-7 with 5:45 left in the second quarter.

New England had a chance to answer with a late-second-quarter drive, but ultimately stalled out at the 13-yard line after an inside blitz forced Maye to throw the ball away through the end zone. A 32-yard Joey Slye field goal made it 14-10 Rams with 1:52 left in the first half.

The Rams had a golden opportunity for points at the end of the half, after a 21-yard Stafford pass to Nacua set up first-and-goal from the Pats' 8-yard line. But Stafford's next two attempts fell incomplete, then Joshua Karty doinked his last-second field goal try off the right upright. Patriots special teams ace Brendan Schooler nearly blocked the kick on the play. Ultimately, the Rams took a 14-10 lead to halftime.

It went from bad to worse for the Patriots to start the third quarter. On just the second play of their first drive, Stafford hit Kupp over the top of Patriots cornerback Jonathan Jones, who fell to the turf as Kupp broke free for a 69-yard touchdown catch-and-run.

The big play put the Rams up 21-10 with 14:19 to go in the third quarter.

The Patriots drove 62 yards in 13 plays on their next drive, but opted to kick a field goal instead of going for it on fourth-and-2 from the Rams' 7-yard line, making it 21-13. The Rams promptly drove right down the field and scored a fourth touchdown, a back-breaker from Stafford to tight end Colby Parkinson to make it 28-13.

The Patriots nearly had a three-and-out on the following drive, but a Rams personal foul gifted them a fresh set of downs, and they took advantage. Netting 70 yards in 10 plays, Maye finished off the drive with a trick-play touchdown to tackle Vederian Lowe, who had checked in as an eligible receiver.

Unfortunately, Slye's extra point attempt was blocked, keeping it a 2-score game at 28-19.

The Patriots got a much-needed defensive stop after that, getting the ball back to Maye with another chance to cut into the lead. They couldn't quite get to the end zone, after a penalty by Ja'Lynn Polk turned fourth-and-1 into fourth-and-6 and made the Pats decide to settle for a field goal. But Slye's kick converted from 42 yards to make it 28-22 with 4:54 left in regulation, and both teams possessing all three timeouts.

Facing third-and-6 with just 2:27 left in regulation, Patriots cornerback Jonathan Jones knocked the ball out from Nacua to get the stop for the defense. The Rams then committed a 5-yard penalty on the punt, giving the Patriots the ball back at their own 10-yard line with 2:14 left.

Maye targeted Douglas deep down the middle of the field, but appeared to have a miscommunication, as Douglas never turned for the ball and the throw sailed on Maye. Rams safety Kamren Kinchens came down with the interception to seal the win for the Rams.

Up Next: The Patriots will look to rebound in a tough road matchup against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium next Sunday, Nov. 24.

Matt Dolloff is a writer and digital content producer for 98.5 The Sports Hub. Read all of his articles here.