Prediction: Rams over Patriots, 28-20

Looking for a little bit of revenge, the Los Angeles Rams host the New England Patriots, the first time the two teams have met since L.A.’s loss in the Super Bowl two years ago.

The teams are much different. Only 18 players remain on New England’s roster from the big game, and 17 on the Rams’ roster.

However, L.A. has many foundational players still on the team, including seven of the eight team captains that played in the game two years ago.

The Rams will try and push their record to 5-1 at SoFi Stadium and remain in the hunt for an NFC West crown with a win over the Patriots.

Matchup microscope
New England traditionally likes to try and affect quarterbacks with double-A gap blitzes up the middle defensively, testing the communication of quarterback Jared Goff and center Austin Blythe. Goff has completed just 44 percent of his passes under pressure this season, so the expectation is New England will bring pressure to get him off his game. “In any game and especially a team like them, that is so smart on defense and can do so much yeah, it’ll be important,” Goff said about making sure he and Blythe are on the same page with what they are seeing up front. “But it’s just as important as it is every week.” Taking care of the football remains a top priority for Goff. The Rams are 5-0 in games he has not thrown an interception.

One to watch
Cooper Kupp did not play in that Super Bowl matchup two years ago due to an ACL knee injury he suffered during the regular season. Kupp is L.A.’s most target receiver this season (74 receptions for 836 receiving yards and two touchdowns on a team-high 105 targets). And New England head coach Bill Belichick is well-known for trying to take away what team’s do best, essentially making them play left-handed, or doing something they are uncomfortable doing. For the Rams, that could mean leaning on two tight-end sets and involving Tyler Higbee and Gerald Everett more in the offense. Bottom line is I would be surprised if the Patriots don’t try and take away Kupp on offense.

Fun to watch
Cam Newton is perhaps the most physical runner to every play the quarterback position in the NFL and will present an enormous challenge for L.A.’s defensive front, led by Aaron Donald (11 sacks, tied for second in NFL). Newton has 435 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on the year. But the Rams have done a nice job against the run this season (93.1 yards allowed a game, No. 3 in the NFL). Along with that, L.A.’s faced several mobile quarterbacks this year in Dak Prescott, Josh Allen, Russell Wilson, Carson Wentz and Kyler Murray, so they should be ready for all the diverse runs they will see from the Patriots on Thursday.

Key to the game
The Rams are the better team overall, evidenced by their 8-4 record. However, the Patriots (6-6) hold the advantage on special teams and that could tilt the game to their favor. New England scored two touchdowns on special teams last week in a lopsided win over the Los Angeles Chargers. The Rams are on their third kicker in Matt Gay and have struggled in kickoff and punt return coverage this season.

Prediction
Rams 28, Patriots 20