It was a little less than two years ago that the New England Patriots beat the Los Angeles Rams in the lowest-scoring Super Bowl of all time. The two teams will meet Thursday night at SoFi Stadium in a rematch that has major playoff implications.

A win for the Rams would keep them in first place of a competitive NFC West race. The Patriots are two games out of the wild-card race and in a virtual “must-win” situation, though the odds are against New England.

The Patriots are five-point underdogs on the road, according to point spreads compiled by OddsShark. The betting total is 44.5.

New England and Los Angeles combined to score only 16 points when they met in Super Bowl LIII. Rams coach Sean McVay should have a better game plan and more points will likely be scored Thursday, but this matchup doesn’t have the makings of a shootout.

In their Super Bowl meeting, Patriots coach Bill Belichick stymied Rams quarterback Jared Goff, who had his best NFL season in 2018. New England ranks seventh in scoring defense after shutting out the Los Angeles Chargers 45-0 on Sunday.

While Goff still looks like an All-Pro on occasion, he’s struggled against the best defenses on Los Angeles’ schedule. In four total matchups with the San Francisco 49ers, Miami Dolphins and Chicago Bears, the Rams have averaged 19.3 points per game. Goff averaged 243 yards and a 74.7 passer rating in those contests.

New England has managed to score a total of 65 points during its two-game winning streak, despite Cam Newton throwing for only combined 153 yards. Newton could struggle against the Rams, who rank first in opponents’ yards per play.

Los Angeles held Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray to just 15 rushing yards and 173 passing in Week 13. The Rams are allowing an average of 20.3 points per game. They last surrendered more than 28 points in Week 3.

The Rams are the more talented team. Los Angeles should take care of business in what could be another ugly meeting with New England.

Thursday's game starts at 8:20 p.m. EST on Fox and NFL Network. Viewers can watch a live stream of the contest with the NFL app or at nfl.com.

Prediction: Los Angeles over New England, 23-16

Jared Goff Rams Patriots
Jared Goff #16 of the New England Patriots looks for an open receiver against the Los Angeles Rams during Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on February 03, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. Michael Zagaris/Getty Images
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