The last time the Rams faced the Patriots, they were primarily a three-receiver team. They used 11 personnel the majority of the time in Super Bowl LIII, putting three receivers, one tight end and one running back on the field for most of the game.
That changed dramatically on Thursday night in their rematch against the Patriots with Sean McVay throwing Bill Belichick a curveball. For what seems like the first time in McVay’s tenure, both Tyler Higbee and Gerald Everett received more playing time than all of the Rams’ wide receivers.
L.A. utilized a ton of 12 personnel and even lined up Everett at fullback at times, mixing things up on offense compared to what they’ve been doing for much of the last few years. On defense, there weren’t as many significant changes made, but the Rams did play with heavier boxes and fewer sub-packages than they typically do.
We analyzed the snap counts on offense and defense below, examining trends and strategies by the Rams from Week 14.