For teams that are only scheduled to play each other once every four years, the Patriots and Rams sure make a lot of history.

Two Super Bowl matchups, including one of the greatest upsets in NFL history and the other featuring the greatest defensive performance in a Super Bowl. Bill Belichick’s defense stopped the Greatest Show on Turf, then arguably the best young head coach in the league. Since then, Rams coach Sean McVay has won his own Super Bowl, and lost his title as youngest coach in the NFL.

That title, briefly, belonged last January to Jerod Mayo, who has since worked every day to rebuild the Patriots. Lately, Mayo has the Pats fighting their way back to respectability, with two wins in the last three weeks. Could the Patriots make it three out of four Sunday?

Here’s what to watch for in Foxboro:

When the Patriots run

Last week, the Pats re-established their run game in Chicago with 144 rushing yards, their most in more than a month. That game tape showed some of their finest run-blocking of the season.

For once, running backs Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson totaled 100 yards without doing most of the hard work themselves. They combined to force just five missed tackles against the Bears, but nonetheless picked up steady gains. Look for the Patriots to attack the Rams on the edges, where they’re allowing 5.0 yards per carry this season, per Sports Info. Solutions. Meanwhile, Los Angeles ranks in the top 10 for fewest yards per carry allowed inside at 3.8.

When the Patriots pass

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye passes during the first half of an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

It all starts up front.

The Rams boast one of the better pass-rushing defenses in the NFL. Rookie outside linebacker Jared Verse, a first-round pick, has a sack in each of this last three games, plus a forced fumble. Verse leads Los Angeles with 14 QB hits, trailed closely by second-year pass-rushers Byron Young and Kobie Turner, who are tied for the team lead with five sacks.

Last week, Patriots offensive tackles Vederian Lowe and Demontrey Jacobs each allowed three pressures in Chicago. This week, Mayo challenged them and the rest of the offensive line to control the line of scrimmage and give Drake Maye time.

“It’s a young group, and they do it the right way. They play the right way,” Mayo said of the Rams’ defensive front. “They play together. They hustle. They’re all over the place. Our offensive line, they’ve got to step up. They’ve got to step up.”

Out wide, the Patriots’ rotation at receiver bears monitoring. Kayshon Boutte remains entrenched at one outside spot, while the staff rotated second-round rookie Ja’Lynn Polk with K.J. Osborn last week and benched Kendrick Bourne. Could Bourne make a return this week, and will the Pats continue to feature dynamo slot receiver DeMario Douglas?

When the Rams run

New England Patriots linebacker Jahlani Tavai (48) celebrates an interception with safety Dell Pettus (24) during the first half of an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/John Amis)

Rams running back Kyren Williams is one of the true bell-cows left in the league. Williams plays all three downs and is already nearing 200 carries on the season. Overall, he’s rushed for 664 yards and eight touchdowns, and added 25 catches for 136 yards and two more scores as a receiver.

Look for Los Angeles to test the Patriots’ run defense, which stiffened in Chicago but otherwise has been a season-long weakness. The Pats are also hurting up front, with defensive linemen Jaquelin Roy and linebacker Sione Takitaki missing practices this week, and fellow linebacker Christian Ellisss being limited after he missed last Sunday’s win over the Bears.

Of note: the Rams are expected to miss starting right tackle Rob Havenstein.

When the Rams pass

As difficult as it is to contain star receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, the greatest challenge for the Patriots may be stopping a play: play-action.

Opponents have enjoyed a 120.3 passer rating this year when passing off play fakes against the Patriots, who are about to welcome one of the best play-action offenses in the league. Play-action is a longtime staple of McVay’s scheme year in and year out, and becomes especially difficult for opponents who also struggle to stop the run.

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“That scheme is hard to defend,” Mayo said. “The run game looks just like the play-action game. The run game looks just like the boot game, and they do a good job with those fakes and all of that stuff.”

As for Kupp and Nacua, Patriots star cornerback Christian Gonzalez is more likely to draw the latter in a shadow assignment. Gonzalez and Nacua both stand at 6-foot-2, and Nacua primarily plays outside. Either receiver, though, is capable of going off for a 100-yard game, and both should expect double-teams in key situations.

The best solution for the Patriots may be to simply get to Matthew Stafford (66.5% completion percentage, 2,262 yards, 9 TDs, 7 INTs) before he can find his top targets. Under pressure this season, Stafford is completing fewer than half his passes for 5.6 yards per attempt, one touchdown and five picks.

Game pick

Rams 16, Patriots 13