The Sunday slate ends in Los Angeles.

A schedule flex leaves an important matchup to the AFC playoff picture on deck to end the Sunday slate.

Joe Burrow and the 4-6 Cincinnati Bengals are in must-win territory and head to Los Angeles to take on Justin Herbert and the six-win Chargers under Jim Harbaugh.

Check down below to see Pats Pulpit’s picks tonight and head to the comment section to further discussion Friday night’s action.

Patriots rooting guide

Go good game! In an all AFC matchup that both fall on the Patriots schedule, New England will can enjoy a...

McVay sees a bright future for the Patriots’ rookie quarterback.

Before his ill-fated final pass attempt, Drake Maye played an encouraging game against the Los Angeles Rams. While his interception was the final nail in the New England Patriots’ coffin, and sealed the 28-22 game in the Rams’ favor, the rookie quarterback continued to show why he was the third overall selection in this year’s draft.

Making plays as a passer and a runner again, Maye ended the game completing 30 of 40 pass attempts for 282 yards with a pair of touchdowns and that one pick. He also gained...

FOXBORO, Mass. — The New England Patriots used to be the team that made all the right plays late. Tom Brady and Bill Belichick won with details and took care of business as consistently as any team.

Now, teams with championship veterans and continuity are the ones getting it done in the NFL. That’s what the Los Angeles Rams did Sunday as head coach Sean McVay and quarterback Matthew Stafford earned the 28-22 win over the Patriots.

The Rams were efficient in scoring touchdowns and not settling for field goals as much as the Patriots. Most notably, the Rams reminded...

Patriots defensive tackle Christian Barmore was grateful to be back on the field Sunday after he missed the first 10 weeks of the season after being diagnosed with blood clots in July.

While his final stat line may not leap off the page, with just three tackles, Barmore was primarily limited to third-down situations in the Patriots’ loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

“The blood clots are not a joke,” Barmore told reporters postgame at Gillette Stadium. “I had real bad shortness of breath, and it messed with me, like a lot. … My teammates really supported the hell out...

FOXBORO, Mass. — The Patriots did several things well Sunday. They did not do enough well, especially in key situations to beat the Los Angeles Rams as New England fell to 3-8.

There’s plenty to learn from as this game goes in the loss column for New England, but there was a collective narrative from the Patriots postgame: They controlled the game and played well enough to win.

“I never really felt like they had control of the game,” New England head coach Jerod Mayo said. “I felt like we had control of the game.”

“We let that slip away,”...

Matthew Stafford saw what many others witnessed during a 28-22 win for the Los Angeles Rams over the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on Sunday.

Not only does Patriots quarterback Drake Maye belong in the NFL, but he can thrive at the all-important position.

Maye didn’t outplay Stafford, but the rookie signal-caller still delivered a standout performance by completing 30-of-40 passes for 282 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Maye also had a fumble recovered by the Rams.

Stafford, like Rams head coach Sean McVay, came away impressed by Maye, especially with Maye’s pocket presence and toughness.

“Really...

FOXBORO, Mass. — Even the Rams were surprised.

The Los Angeles Rams took advantage of questionable game-planning by the New England Patriots staff en route to a 28-22 win at Gillette Stadium on Sunday.

New England opted to put top cornerback Christian Gonzalez on the boundary rather than shadow Rams wideout Puka Nacua or Cooper Kupp. New England’s reliance on zone defenses also routinely led to chunk plays for veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford and company.

Given Gonzalez’s success against some of the league’s top wideouts, it was a perplexing decision that surprised just about everyone.

“We definitely were coming in...

Patriots offensive tackle Vederian Lowe had quite the game in New England’s 28-22 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.

With the Patriots trailing 28-13, the third-year offensive lineman had a dream come true in the fourth quarter when Lowe caught a four-yard touchdown pass from Drake Maye.

“First of all, I’ve never caught a touchdown ever at any level of football that I’ve ever played, but it’s always been a dream of mine,” Lowe told reporters at Gillette Stadium. “As a little kid, I always thought I could play tight end. Growing up, I always thought I had...

Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye had a solid outing in New England’s Week 11 frustrating loss to the Los Angeles Rams at Gillette Stadium.

Maye completed 30 passes for 282 yards with two touchdowns and one interception for the Patriots. Rams head coach Sean McVay told reporters following the game that Maye “looks like a stud” and gave Los Angeles “fits” throughout the game.

“I thought he did a great job of being able to make plays in the pocket today, extend drives,” McVay said, per Patriots-provided transcript. “I thought he was patient, taking some underneath check-downs where guys were...

Maye threw an interception in the final minutes to end the Patriots’ game against the Rams.

Trailing by six points in the final minutes, Drake Maye had the opportunity to navigate a go-ahead drive. Instead, his last pass of the day was intercepted with 1:55 remaining as the New England Patriots fell 28-22 to the Los Angeles Rams.

Maye was looking for DeMario Douglas on the play, but as the receiver took off up the field he saw a football thrown behind him as he turned his head. The duo, along with head coach Jerod Mayo, chalked it up to...

FOXBORO, Mass. — Drake Maye found Demario Douglas early and often to get the New England Patriots moving on offense.

Douglas, who had 42 receiving yards on New England’s first touchdown drive, brought life to the Patriots in the passing game. New England got the ball back with just over two minutes to go and trailed by six points.

Maye tried to go back to Douglas on a 3rd-and-13 play for New England. Maye let one rip down the middle of the field as Douglas kept running a seam route. Clearly something did not click between the quarterback and receiver...

The Patriots’ head coach felt his team had control over the Rams in its 28-22 loss.

Despite coming up short in the end, the New England Patriots played one of their better games of the season against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. Even after falling behind 15 points in the late third quarter, they rallied back to find themselves with a chance to drive for the victory late.

That comeback bid failed, resulting in a 28-22 loss, but there was a lot to like especially on the offensive side of the ball. In fact, the Patriots were in control...