Keys To Victory - Rams

1. Avoid Further Injuries - I've documented the injury issues on this team heading into Sunday, and it doesn't look good. Another injury to a key player could force us to make do with inexperienced and relatively inferior players like Nate Ebner, Marquis Cole, Malcolm Williams, or Matthew Slater in the Defensive Backfield. Belichick will say publicly that he has confidence in all of his players, but he'll acknowledge that there is a drop-off in the types of concepts he's able to use without his top players. The Patriots are thin in a number of areas: DB and OL are my biggest concerns. God forbid that Ryan Wendell or Devin McCourty falls victim to the natural grass surface. Even if they're only out for a few series with a minor injury, losing them would cause major ripples on the roster. Likewise, if an injury is sustained by a core Special Teamer, Belichick will have a hard time replacing them because there's just so many injuries. We just don't have the depth to be competitive if we lose any more key guys.

2. Containing The Rams' Pass Rush - The Rams have a Defensive Line that should be feared and respected. The Rams have put high draft stock into the unit, and they look to have hit on Michael Brockers, Robert Quinn, and Chris Long. Robert Quinn has already exceeded his sack total from his Rookie season in 2011 with 7 sacks. In total, the unit has 21 sacks (3 per game). However, I think that sack numbers are vastly overstated when it comes to judging the effectiveness of a DL.  Throwaways, hits, tipped passes, and other forced errors are a better judge. So, it won't be the end of the world if Brady takes 4 sacks in this game, but if pressure forces him into a turnover, we could be in trouble. Brady needs to be smart with the football, but more importantly, Solder/Vollmer need to hold the edges to give Brady a chance to find his groove. The Rams will likely get pressures, but if The Patriots can contain the rush in gotta-have-it situations like on 3rd downs and in the 4th quarter, then Brady will be in good shape.

3. McCourty, Be Aggressive - Last week Devin McCourty started at Safety, and he projects to be there again in London. I felt that McCourty was a little too passive in coming down on a receiver after the catch. With the exception of a few plays in Baltimore, McCourty has been solid this season. He really needs to be our best DB on Sunday, and a game-changing play would go a long way in sparking this unit. McCourty is going to play with a keep-it-in-front mentality, but I want to see him be more decisive and instinctual when reading the play. I don't mind seeing him let the guy make the catch if he's always there to make the tackle, but I also want to see some occasional risk-taking. Obviously McCourty will be playing out of position, but he needs to trust his feelings when he sees things that he's practiced all week. "Use the force Devin..."

4. Relentless Pass Rush On Bradford - As impressive as The Rams' own pass rush has been, they've allowed opponents to sack their QB just as much as they've sacked the opponent, 21 times. The Rams have had injuries along their Offensive Line since the start of the season. They lost their starting C in week 1, Scott Wells. Also, they've had a revolving door on the left side. They started with Rodger Saffold at LT, and since then they have gone to Wayne Hunter and Joe Barksdale. At LG The Rams have been forced to replace Quinn Ojinnaka with Shelly Smith. Both Barksdale and Smith were acquired through the waiver wire. Although The Patriots have major injury problems, they have not been hit in a concentrated area like St. Louis has. If there was ever a week to start blitzing, this has got to be it. Chandler Jones and Jermaine Cunningham together against the left side of the line should produce sacks, pressures, and hopefully turnovers. With all the injuries in the DB, pass rush is a must. Hopefully we can take advantage of their injuries better than they can exploit ours.

5. Find The Right RB - Ridley, Vereen, or Woodhead? - What we saw from Shane Vereen in limited snaps last Sunday has to be encouraging moving forward. He has a nice mixture of skills in the passing game making him very similar to Danny Woodhead, but he also showed an ability to gain the edge similar to Stevan Ridley. I think that he could be very successful out of the no-huddle, but it seems like Brady is much more comfortable with Wodhead, especially out the shotgun. Perhaps Vereen can represent a slightly different no-huddle package that operates from under center. Vereen's running ability might force The Rams to keep their LBs in to stop the run, which will give Vereen a chance to catch some passes. Opponents are able to go with base D against Ridley and sub D against Woodhead because they are too one dimensional. Perhaps Shane Vereen can find some success in that middle ground the way that Brandon Bolden did against The Bills. Nevertheless, I would love to see Stevan Ridley get back to his early season success running the ball. He has not looked the same since his fumble. Either way, The Patriots Offense has to find a way to lighten the load on Tom Brady.