The Los Angeles Rams are trying to learn some valuable lessons from the past.
Los Angeles is set to face off against the New England Patriots Thursday in a rematch of Super Bowl 53, when Bill Belichick's defense held Sean McVay's high-powered offense to just three points.
Steve Wyche of NFL Network reported the Patriots' six-man defensive front threw the Rams and quarterback Jared Goff for a loop. Wyche noted the Chicago Bears actually used a similar scheme against the Rams earlier in that season.
In 2018, the Bears and Patriots had the special defenses to bamboozle the Rams. Now, the Rams have an ace in the hole to help them decipher things- especially if the Pats try similar things again tonight. From @gmfb @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/yMAbThQsJp
— Steve Wyche (@wyche89) December 10, 2020
According to Wyche, the Rams are now accustomed to facing packages with six guys stuffing the box at all times. They also might have an ace in the hole.
Rams defensive coordinator Brandon Staley was on the Bears' staff during the aforementioned 2018 showdown between Chicago and L.A., and Wyche reported Staley has attempted to help McVay “understand some of the principles” behind the six-man front.
This game has massive consequences, for both teams.
The Rams enter Thursday night atop the NFC West standings, though the Seattle Seahawks are right alongside L.A. at 8-4 on the year.
Meanwhile, the Pats have gotten to 6-6 after winning consecutive games, and they have also held high-scoring offenses like the Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Chargers to under 300 yards of total offense in each of the past two weeks.
Belichick loves to throw in little wrinkles here and there, and Wyche said the Rams are expecting some surprises.
How Goff, McVay and Co. react to those surprises could determine the outcome of the game.
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