3 Takeaways from Rams' Week 14 Win

In a Super Bowl LIII rematch Thursday, the Los Angeles Rams continued their recent momentum with an impressive showing against the New England Patriots. And if they keep rolling, perhaps they could end up as the NFC champions again this season.

The Rams dominated from start to finish at SoFi Stadium, cruising to a 24-3 victory. It was Los Angeles' fourth win in its past five games, and it ensured that the Rams will still be in first place in the NFC West at the end of Week 14.

On the opening drive of the game, Los Angeles went 75 yards on six plays, with quarterback Jared Goff's 1-yard touchdown run giving it a 7-0 lead just three minutes, 39 seconds in. Less than a minute into the second quarter, the Rams had already built a 17-point advantage.

Here are three takeaways from Los Angeles' resounding win Thursday night.

Akers Breaks Out, Dominates Workload in Backfield

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Forget splitting carries between three running backs—this is Cam Akers' backfield now. It may have taken the rookie some time to get going this season, but he's showcasing exactly why the Rams selected him in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft.

Akers set career highs in carries (29), rushing yards (171) and total yards (194) while powering the Los Angeles offense Thursday. His rushing total was the most by a Rams rookie since Jerome Bettis in 1993 and the most ever by a rookie against the Patriots, according to ESPN Stats & Info.

"He's a creative runner, he can put his shoulder down, he can finish, he's got the explosive speed," Rams head coach Sean McVay told the media after the game. "... You can just see. This guy. I think he's going to be a really special player, and this was a great night for him."

After a slow start to the campaign, Akers had scored a touchdown in each of Los Angeles' previous three games entering this one. His carries have also increased in each game during that stretch, a sign he could be the Rams' clear No. 1 back moving forward.

Darrell Henderson Jr. had only two carries for five yards, and Malcolm Brown didn't have any touches. If Akers can keep building off his breakout performance, it could mean big things for him and Los Angeles' offense down the final stretch of the regular season and beyond.

The Defense Keeps Getting Better, Making Impact Plays

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The Rams defense continues to improve this season, which led to this dominant showing against the Patriots. The only points New England put on the board came on a 29-yard field goal by Nick Folk with 1:04 to go in the first half.

The Patriots accumulated only 220 total yards and 10 first downs. Their 12 possessions ended with six punts, a field goal, three turnovers on downs, one turnover and time running out in the first half. And their one turnover was a big one, as quarterback Cam Newton was intercepted by Rams linebacker Kenny Young, who returned it 79 yards for a touchdown and gave Los Angeles a 17-0 lead with 14:46 remaining in the second quarter.

The Rams also had six sacks, including two by defensive tackle Michael Brockers and 1.5 by defensive tackle Aaron Donald.

"We put them in a lot of 3rd-down-and-longs, a lot of 2nd-and-long situations where they had to throw the ball," Brockers told the media after the game. "We felt like if they had to throw the ball, we can get after them a little bit in the rush. That's just a testament to doing everything we had to do on 1st and 2nd downs to get them to those 3rd-down situations."

Brockers also added that he thinks Los Angeles' defense keeps getting better. And for a unit that entered Week 14 ranked second in the NFL in total yards allowed per game (291.3), that could be a scary thing for opposing offenses. It's clear that if the Rams continues to play like this, they should remain one of the top teams in the NFC the rest of the way.

The Rams Remain in Control in NFC West Race

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The Rams are in a great position to win their third NFC West title in four seasons. After clinching its fourth straight winning season, Los Angeles is in control in the division entering the final three weeks of the regular season.

In Week 15, the Rams will host the winless New York Jets, which should be a game they will win easily. Los Angeles concludes the regular season with a pair of NFC West matchups—a Week 16 road game against the Seattle Seahawks and a Week 17 home contest against the Arizona Cardinals, teams the Rams have beaten this year.

Seattle remains Los Angeles' top competitor in the division race. Like the Rams, the Seahawks will be 9-4 heading into Week 15 if they beat the Jets on Sunday (which they should). Seattle also has remaining matchups against two other teams with losing records in the Washington Football Team (5-7) and the San Francisco 49ers (5-7).

But as long as the Rams beat the Seahawks again, that should seal the NFC West title for Los Angeles, as it would own a clear tiebreaker over Seattle. It's likely to be a challenging matchup, but L.A. at least know that as long as it keeps winning, it will be in good shape.

And with the way the Rams have been playing of late, it's hard to bet against them keeping this momentum going.