New England Patriots 24 - St. Louis Rams 17
The Patriots traveled to St. Louis and won another squeaker, getting ahead early and never relinquishing the lead despite a close game throughout.
Unlike in recent games, Cobie Ross was on big and on early in this one. He needed only two carries to take the ball 80 yards on the Patriots first drive. After the Rams answered with a field goal, Ross did it again, giving the Patriots a 14-3 lead after one quarter.
The Rams cut it to 14-10 after a long drive, but then the Patriots slowed it down a bit and chewed up the rest of the quarter, culminating on a Tom Brady 9 yard pass to Julius Thomas with 9 seconds left, giving the Pats a 21-10 halftime lead.
The Rams were able to cut it back to one score midway through the second half, when Bradford found Kendricks for a 7-yard strike.
The Patriots chewed up more clock, but were unable to convert on a 3rd-and-inches late and had to settle for a Gostowski field goal to go back up by a touchdown. The Rams made a valiant late effort but ultimately came up short in Patriots territory when Gary Guyton knocked down a 4th-and-5 pass attempt.
Tom Brady was limited but perfect for the second straight game, going 5 of 5 for 59 yards and a TD.
Sam Bradford was also very good, going 15 of 19 for 182 yards and a TD.
Cobie Ross had his first huge game in a while, carrying 19 times for 200 yards and 2 TDs. BenJarvus Green-Ellis added 6 carries for 41 yards to the effort.
Steven Jackson was the more effective runner of the Rams' timeshare, taking his 8 carries for 54 yards and a score. Montrel Gibbons carried 9 times for only 28 yards.
No Patriots receiver had over 20 yards, but Julius Thomas had 2 catches for 19 and the score (Gronk had 1 catch, but missed most of the game with an injury, thankfully he'll be back next week).
Mike Sims-Walker had 7 catches for 108 yards, Lance Kendricks had 4 for 44 and the TD.
No turnovers, no sacks, not much defense to go around in this one period.
The Patriots move to 10-1, matching their win total from last season. The Rams fall to 7-4 and see their lead in the tough NFC West shrink a bit.
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gg GP! You're definitely doing a lot with that roster, I was very impressed.