ESPN's Bill Barnwell made an interesting note in his preview about the competing dynamics of the Patriots offense and Rams defense.
Tom Brady gets the ball out of his hands quicker than most quarterbacks. Brady passed the ball within 2.6 seconds in the regular season and had released it an average of 2.4 seconds in the postseason, according to Barnwell.
That's good news for the Patriots. With Donald fighting up the middle, it's only a matter of time until he breaks through. Brady will want to get the ball out quickly to avoid sacks and knockdowns.
Or is it good? According to Barnwell, the Rams defensive backs posted the seventh-best passer rating when quarterbacks threw the ball in 2.5 seconds or less. That allows the Rams to disguise their coverage, fool offenses and shut down opportunities. But when quarterbacks threw the ball after 2.5 seconds, the Rams' passer rating fell to 29th in the league. The more time offenses took to digest the coverage, the better they were.
So, will Brady get the ball out quickly to avoid Donald and the Rams' pass rush, or will he buy enough time to carve up the Rams defensive backs? If Brady throws the ball quickly, he will have to be precise (and this has been one of his least accurate seasons). If he holds onto the ball longer, the Rams secondary will have to hang in there.