The NFL is a copycat league.  In both the long term and the short term, teams are always looking at other teams and trying to find out how they are winning.  Without a doubt, the most copied team in this league over the last decade has been the New England Patriots.  However, today we’ll look at how the Rams took a page out of the Seahawks playbook to burn the Patriots. 

Two weeks ago, while trailing by 6 with 1:27 left to play in the game, Seahawks rookie quarterback, Russell Wilson dialed up a 47-yard bomb to Sidney Rice for a game-winning touchdown. 

Flash forward to 2 minutes and 25 seconds into the Rams / Patriots match up. The Rams have the ball nearly at the same spot on the field as the Seahawks had the ball, and run virtually the same play to get an early lead on the Patriots. 

I learned two things while watching the Rams at a Dave & Busters with my family and a group of Rams fans. 1: The amount of time it takes for the D&B sensory overload to reduce my four-year-old son to a quivering puddle of nerves and tears is approximately two hours. 2: The amount of time it takes for Tom Brady and the Patriots to do the same to the Rams defense is a lot less. 

The first five drives engineered by Brady and former Rams offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels ended in touchdowns. The sixth in a field goal. At that point, the Patriots were up 38-7 and the drama had been sucked out of a packed Wembley Stadium. 

The game didn't have to get to this point. The Rams opened the game with a confident drive, moving the chains to midfield and then taking advantage of the weak Patriots secondary with a beautiful designed rollout and deep throw to Chris Givens for the game's opening score. 

It was to be the last highlight of the day for the "home" team, and the hundreds of true-blue Rams fans among them seeing their team in person for the first time. 

Pass Defense Exposed

The Rams surprised many - including their own fans - by fielding one of the NFL's best pass defenses through the season's first six weeks. However, that defense has regressed badly lately.

Elite quarterbacks have a way of exposing holes in even the best defenses, especially when they aren't pressured. The Rams registered exactly 0 sacks and 0 knockdowns of Brady on the day, as Chris Long and Robert Quinn were completely bottled up by the well-coached line and Brady's rapid recognition of when and where the holes in the Rams' zone defense would open up.

Holes appeared to be open all over the field, particularly in the vulnerable middle patrolled by safeties Quintin MIkell and Craig Dahl. Even without Aaron Hernandez in tow to draw coverage away, Rob Gronkowski had a full day's work in the first half alone: 106 yards receiving and a touchdown. He tacked on an additional 40 yards and another score in the second half, to put the icing on the cake. 

Former Ram Brandon Lloyd also caught touchdowns on his only two catches of the day, and applied himself well to his blocking assignments to spring multiple long gains via the run and the pass. 

The Rams' pass defense was little better against the run, as Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen took advantage of our nickel package to do damage on draw plays. 

For those fans lucky enough to see their team in person for the first time, this whole week has been a geek-out lovefest. Unfortunately, the game didn't live up to the billing. But the Rams now have a bye week to lick their wounds, nail down some holes, and get some key players back from the trainer's room. They face a relatively friendly back half of the schedule, with only San Francisco (twice) looming as monster matchup problems. Fans looking for a happy story will have to look to the future, because it wasn't to be found this week. 

I am having Déjà vu. Upon completion of my research, I have written this preview before. See if any of this sounds familiar. The Rams need to be able to run the ball, or at least threaten the run to have offensive success. Turns out, the Patriots strength on defense is against the run.  They are 8^th against the run, allowing only 86 yards a game.

The Patriots weakness is pass defense. They are 29^th against the pass, but the Rams are not at their best when they are pass happy. Furthermore, the Rams lost their favorite target in the passing game, Danny Amendola.  

All of this came from the Miami game. The one key difference between Miami and New England is the passing offense. New England has real weapons and can threaten the Rams defense. Miami could not. However, there is another interesting difference between this preview and the Miami preview. The Rams have grown. I no longer believe the rams have to be able to run the ball to have success. In fact, if necessary, the Rams could become pass happy and have a chance in this game, at least I believe that to be true.  That is growth!

I am sure every preview is going to say the same thing. The Rams need to be able to throw the ball to keep up with New England. Sam Bradford needs to prove his value by stepping up in this game and picking apart an obvious weakness, the New England pass defense. I am sure most previews you read will talk about the need to excel in the passing game and the preview will say something about Bradford stepping up. I will disagree for two reasons. First, I don’t like to state the obvious. Secondly, I don’t believe this game will be a referendum on Sam Bradford and the Rams passing offense. For whatever reason, I think Fisher has different thoughts. These are two excellent coaches, so I do not expect them to go with the obvious. Here are my thoughts on what the Rams need to do to win:

1.         MORE RICHARDSON

Brandon Gibson has been a lightning rod for Rams fans since his 16-target (5-catch) debut in 2009, in which he showed equal parts playmaking and back-breaking ability. Three years later, the offensive coordinator has flipped two times, the Rams have had two draft picks in the top three, but little has essentially changed in his game.

He has near-perfect performances in practice, he has earned the trust of coaches and his quarterback, but in the game's biggest moments, the ball too often finds its way from his hands to the ground. 

After two key drops in a close game against Green Bay, is the glass finally empty of optimism on Brandon Gibson? The RamsHerd Writers weigh in.

Paul Petruska: The Rams Will Improve When Gibson Drops On The Depth Chart!

After watching Brandon Gibson drop his second 4th down pass of the season, I have finally reached a conclusion. As long as Brandon Gibson is our number one receiver, we will not improve on offense.

Before anyone starts jumping up and down about his touchdown catch in Week 1 or the incredible one handed catch in Week 6, I am not suggesting they cut him. Brandon Gibson has proven that he can play in the NFL, but I think he should play as a backup to better players.

I have seen enough to say the Brandon Gibson does not have the skills to be a number one receiver. He can’t create separation when pressed, and he has inconsistent hands. I believe I can prove both statements.

Pre-Snap

The Rams offense hasn't scored since the first half, and is in danger of falling out of this game completely. But a huge 56-yard catch-and-run play by Chris Givens puts the Rams just outside the red zone. Three runs and a short pass later, and the Rams have a second-and-goal, but the clock is working against them in a two-score game. They need to score decisively, and the defense has to get the ball back.

This game is many things to many people. For Roger Goodell, it's a showcase for a largely untapped market of potential customers. For football-mad UK fans, it's a party. For Rams fans in the UK, it's a chance to finally see their favorite (sorry, "favourite") team in person. For Bill Belichick and the Patriots, it's just another week, a stepping stone on the way to another playoff season.

But for the Rams, it's a grudge match. After a lost season co-captained by Josh McDaniels - starting with another round of questionable offensive draft picks and finishing with a triage room full of battered quarterbacks - the Rams are putting together a season of redemption. That redemption starts under center, as Sam Bradford is finally showing the signs of growth we expected after an offensive rookie-of-the-year campaign in 2010.

Now, McDaniels has returned home to New England, and lines up on the opposite sideline from Bradford for the first time. How will this match of wits and talent affect the outcome of this game, and what other factors will come into play? We talked to Patriots reporter Doug Kyed of NESN.com to find out.

As Americans, we're raised (or at least encouraged) to think a lot of funny things about Brits. They are stodgier than us and proper-er than us, and conversely, when they get silly (see Python, Monty), they are much sillier than us. But particularly when it comes to sport, they are quite different from us. Or so we're led to believe... 

Take cricket, for example, an endless comedy of manners without any punchlines, played by opposing teams who wear apparently identical uniforms. It is wholly incomprehensible to most of us on this side of the Atlantic, who despite a massively common gene pool are completely lacking in British understanding of etiquette. 

For four years I worked for a Britisher, not the proper-est of gentleman but a good guy nonetheless, and following cricket was in his blood. I understood the passion, but completely blanked on the concept of the sport itself. Meanwhile, he bemoaned the fact that his children, being raised in the US, wanted to try out for their school's volleyball team. If it wasn't soccer (the true football, of course), it wasn't fit for a youngster. 

This cultural divide just seemed natural to me. I expect these kinds of differences in viewpoint when meeting someone from another land. So much so that the whole phenomenon of natural-born Brits falling in love with American Football and the Rams in particular just seems ... foreign I suppose? 

But that said, Twitter quickly set me straight, as I've met a number of knowledgeable fans from the Commonwealth. In honor of our team making its debut appearance in London, I decided to reach out to the group and ask: How did you become a Rams fan anyway?