The end of hope came with 1:38 left in the third quarter.
Despite a mistake-laden day for the offense, New England only trailed by 14 points as the Rams lined up to go for it on fourth and one on the 4. A stop would have kept the Patriots in the game and given them a shot of energy. A similar defensive stand turned the tide against Arizona two weeks earlier.
On Thursday, there wasn’t even a play. They didn’t even get a chance to make the game-saving stop.
Akeem Spence was called for a neutral zone infraction before the ball was even snapped to give the Rams a first down.