OFFENSE
Patriots		Rams
Troy Brown (80) Fearless on his routes, a monster at the point of the catch. Killed the Steelers with his punt returns. In his rookie year Drew Bledsoe told his father that Brown, a fellow rookie, was the most talented player in camp.	WR	Torry Holt (88) Slightly more productive than his running mate, Isaac Bruce, although his per-catch average is lower. Kurt Warner's second target, after Marshall Faulk, on his hot reads.
Matt Light (72) The Patriots were keeping their fingers crossed in camp, hoping this second-round draft choice would be their starter. He made it and has shown steady improvement all season. Struggled against the Steelers' rush at times.	LT	Orlando Pace (76) The Rams' best lineman, but he came out of the Eagles' game with a sprained knee. If he can't go the dropoff is huge, with Rod Jones (No. 60) going to LT and Ryan Tucker (No. 50) on the right side.
Mike Compton (77) Valuable free agent import from Detroit. Just what the Pats needed to solidify a unit that was a preseason question mark. Handles the shotgun snaps.	LG	Tom Nutten (61) Not a good year for this normally productive lineman. Balance is off. Has had trouble with stunts. Will be a target.
Damien Woody (65) Burly 320-pound drive blocker who battled a weight problem at one time. Our all-pro this year. How good is he, athletically? Well, his genes must be special because his daughters began walking at eight and nine months, respectively.	C	Andy McCollum (67) Equally at home at guard or center. Unifying force in the middle. Has had to cover for Nutten.
Joe Andruzzi (63) Highly motivated overachiever who defines this team. Picked up off the street last year after the Packers cut him.	RG	Adam Timmerman (63) Heady seven-year, ex-Packer veteran. Good on the move, skilled trap-blocker.
Greg Robinson-Randall (64) Second-year pro who rises above journeyman status when he's in the flow of the running game. Had problems with Pittsburgh's Jason Gildon last week and will have more of them against the Rams' rush specialist, Leonard Little.	RT	Rod Jones (60) Came to the Rams from Cincinnati in June. Became a starter when Tucker, battling an elbow injury, struggled against the Giants' Michael Strahan in October. Tucker still isn't right.
Jermaine Wiggins (85) Slow 6-foot-2, 255-pounder who's built like a guard and normally has trouble shaking coverage but was just fine (10 catches) against the Raiders in the snow. Took over for Rod Rutledge, No. 83, as the starter last week.	TE	Ernie Conwell (84) Would be a Pro Bowler on any other offense. Will line up everywhere and will come up with the key catch. Good day blocking for Faulk against the Eagles. Jeff Robinson (No. 45), a 275-pound converted DE saw a lot of action as the second TE in max-protection against the Eagles. Ricky Proehl (87) has seen infrequent action in the four wideout attack that removes the TE.
Tom Brady (12) I'm assuming his sprained ankle -- taped up, shot up, fixed up, or something -- will be OK. Gets the ball out in a hurry. Makes quick decisions. If he reinjures the ankle and Bledsoe has to play, the Pats are in trouble because the coverage scheme might break down, as it did in the second half against Pittsburgh. Bledsoe holds the ball longer and the line will have had only a week to adjust, after blocking for Brady the past 15 games.	QB	Kurt Warner (13) The question is, how bad is the rib injury he suffered in the late going against Green Bay? The Rams loaded up with their big guys (Conwell, Robinson and FB James Hodgins) to keep him clean last week. Against Philly he wasn't as precise as he usually is on his medium to deep routes, but if he's OK, he's the best.
Antowain Smith (32) Sturdy banger, playing his best football after four up-and-down years in Buffalo. J.R. Redmond (No. 21) comes in for pass-catching. Kevin Faulk (No. 33) and Patrick Pass (No. 35) were phased out of the offense last week.	RB	Marshall Faulk (28) Touched the ball 35 times out of the 67 plays the Rams ran last week. Gained 159 yards on the ground in an offense that looked like something out of the days of the Lombardi Packers. Helped the Rams control the ball for the last 7:46 when they beat New England in Foxboro in November. The NFL's best running back.
Marc Edwards (44) Functional jack-of-all-trades fullback who blocks well enough and catches passes, mostly on screens and flat routes.	FB	James Hodgins (42) Thumping, 270-pound blocker who figured prominently in last week's massive ground attack, but will hurt the defense as a surprise pass-catcher, too. Az Hakim (No. 81) comes in for him as the third wideout. A threat, but will drop the ball.
David Patten (86) The burner, the deep threat. Turned possession receiver against Oakland, caught nothing deep against Pittsburgh, although he scored the Pats' only TD on a neat, 10-yard post-corner route.	WR	Isaac Bruce (80) Hurt the Packers with eight catches, held to one by the Eagles. Will test the Patriots corners deep. One of the NFL's top long-ball receivers with a 17.3-yard average per catch.
CONSENSUS: Rams 6-3-2

DEFENSE
Patriots		Rams
Bobby Hamilton (91) Active ex-Jet who moves inside when Willie McGinest (No. 55) is rushing from his side. McGinest, who didn't start last week, had one of his best games and provides much needed speed in the front seven.	LE	Chidi Ahanotu (72) An eight-year Bucs veteran, cut in April and picked up by the Rams in camp. Will depart on passing downs for Leonard Little (No. 91), a 257-pound ex-LB who comes around the corner at 90 mph.
Brandon Mitchell (96) Fits in well in the run scheme. Not much of a rusher, though. Comes out on passing downs.	LT	Brian Young (66) Surprising second-year pro who came on so strong in camp that he beat out first-rounder Ryan Pickett. Pickett (No. 79) comes in in relief.
Richard Seymour (93) No.1 draft who gets better every week. Terrific against the Raiders in the snow. Still learning, but will be a great one.	RT	Jeff Zgonina (90) Muscular plugger who keeps the run defense kosher. Replaced by another ex-Buc, Tyoka Jackson (No. 97), an effective stunter and rusher.
Anthony Pleasant (98) A Bill Belichick reclamation project who's playing some of his best football after the Jets just about gave up on him. Might not start if McGinest gets the call on that side.	RE	Grant Wistrom (98) Undersized with a high motor and great pursuit ability. Makes a lot of tackles across the field. Teams always start out trying to run on him, usually with not much success.
Mike Vrabel (50) Came over from the Steelers. A hustler but not great in coverage. Pats went with their dime package against the Rams last time and he didn't start. Ted Johnson (No. 52), normally a middle backer, saw some action at this spot last week.	SLB	Don Davis (58) The Pats have their ex-Jets, St. Louis has its former Bucs who followed new coordinator Lovie Smith across the Missiissippi. Davis is a sound technician who gets the hook for Dre' Bly when the Rams go nickel.
Tedy Bruschi (54) Greatly underrated. Moves to the ball well and better in coverage than people give him credit for. Sack specialist in college and will occasionally come on the blitz.	MLB	London Fletcher (59) Big-play guy who gave the Rams defense a jolt of electricity on their first Super Bowl team. A bit wild and unpredictable but his game has settled down under Smith. Good run-stopper.
Roman Phifer (95) Still another ex-Jet whose career was revitalized by Belichick. Playing the best football since his days with the Rams in the early 1990s. Active and intense, but at 33 he's starting to wear down a bit.	WLB	Tommy Polley (52) Second-round draft choice who took over during the season and had a monster game against the Packers. Records high tackle-assist numbers and is constantly improving in coverage.
Ty Law (34) Former all-pro who hit a slump last year but has picked up his game this season. Physical player who bumps at the line and will use muscle on the speedy Rams wideouts.	LC	Aeneas Williams (35) Started to slow down a bit with the Cardinals but has been reborn in St. Louis. Makes big plays every week. Reads the QB as well as any corner in the league. Will usually play the slot receiver in the nickel.
Lawyer Milloy (36) Team leader. Inspirational type of player who lifts his game in the crucial situations. Came up with the final pick against Pittsburgh.	SS	Adam Archuleta (31) The team's third defensive No. 1 draft choice, and the best one. Violent hitter whose coverage responsibility is still limited in the scheme.
Tebucky Jones (34) Has had trouble with deep receivers, but has a good nose for the ball and will make big plays, i.e., a crucial interception in the fourth quarter last week.	FS	Kim Herring (20) Starter for the Super Bowl Ravens last year. Steady and unspectacular. Closes well on the ball.
Otis Smith (45) I'm getting tired of saying this, but yes, he's another guy who once earned a varsity letter with the Jets. Not a blazer but very smart. A teeth-gritter who will sell out on every coverage.	RC	Dexter McCleon (21) Once everybody's pigeon, has now tightened up his game. Always looking for the ball. Sometimes over-commits.
Terrell Buckley (No. 27) for the deep coverage. Matt Stevens (No. 26) is the nickel backer. Terrance Shaw (No. 22) will cover the third wideout.	NICKEL BACKS	The keynote figure is Dre' Bly (No. 32), a superstar on the rise. The Rams prefer to keep two linebackers on the field in all long-yardage downs, but when they do go dime, Jerametrius Butler (No. 23) gets the call.
CONSENSUS: Rams 5-4-3, but Belichick's unpredictability is the X-factor.

SPECIAL TEAMS

New England kicker Adam Vinatieri (24-for-30 field goals regular season) made the biggest kick in the team's history, a 45-yarder in the snow against Oakland. The 49es are still kicking themselves for letting Jeff Wilkins (23-for-29) slip off to St. Louis.

Patriots punter Ken Walter, picked up during the season when Lee Johnson was cut, trails the Rams' John Baker in gross average (40.1 to 42.1) but he's way ahead on the net (38.1 to 34.9).

St. Louis has no one to compare with dynamic punt returner Troy Brown. The Patriots' coverage units are better, led by a league-leading 4.8 yards against enemy punts.

Edge: Patriots