Through the first 15 minutes at Gillette Stadium on Sunday, DeMarcus Covington’s defense held the upper hand on Sean McVay. The New England Patriots held on two third-down stops at midfield, forcing the Los Angeles Rams to punt twice.
Then, the dam broke.
The Rams scored touchdowns on four of their next five possessions and missed a field goal from the 8-yard line on the other. A 7-0 New England lead quickly became a 28-13 deficit.
Sean McVay exploited a league-worst pass defense on early downs, using the run early to set up big play action passes and attacking down the field.