Rams vs. Patriots 2016 live stream: How to watch Week 13 game online

The Rams stand between Tom Brady and history.

Dec 4, 2016, 3:00 PM UTC

NFL: New England Patriots at New York Jets

Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

Only one quarterback in NFL history has won as many games as Tom Brady. With a victory over the Rams on Sunday, the Patriots superstar can put his longtime rival Peyton Manning in his rear-view and stand alone as the game’s winningest QB.

Brady tied Manning last week at 200 career wins with a come-from-behind 22-17 victory over the Jets. With a win over 4-7 Los Angeles he’ll move into uncharted territory. The 39-year-old passer has won 178 regular season games and another 22 in the playoffs, which includes four Super Bowls.

His 16th season in the league has been one of his best, even after missing the first four games due to league suspension. Brady has emerged as the bettor’s favorite to win the 2016 NFL MVP award, which would be the third such honor of his career. If he does, he’ll be the oldest player to ever lift the trophy by a full two years.

His play presents plenty of solid evidence for his case. He leads the league in quarterback rating (116.7) and TD:INT ratio (18:1) while leading his Patriots to the top of the conference. If he keeps up this level of play, he’ll finish with his finest statistical season since 2007 — a year when he added 18 wins to his career total and earned his first league MVP award.

But he’ll have to do so without his top receiving target. All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski will miss eight weeks after undergoing surgery for a ruptured disc earlier in the week. Martellus Bennett, who has three 100-yard receiving games this fall, will have to step up in his absence.

Brady will face a Rams team that has struggled after a 3-1 start. Los Angeles has lost six of its last seven games, counting only a 9-6 snoozer of a victory over the hapless Jets as its only win in the span. The team’s plummet from the postseason race has forced head coach Jeff Fisher to begrudgingly start Jared Goff, 2016’s No. 1. overall draft pick, at quarterback the last two weeks.

Goff has shown signs of brilliance, but has mostly looked like an overwhelmed rookie in Los Angeles. In two starts he’s thrown for just 348 yards — a mark Brady eclipsed in each of his first two starts of the season. While he’s avoided turnovers and backbreaking mistakes, his 5.5 yards per pass attempt currently ranks him dead last among active starters. Despite those issues, he’s shown the touch and poise to be a winner in the league -- though probably not this winter.

The Rams’ ineffective offense has wasted some strong defensive efforts this fall. Los Angeles has held opponents to 17 points or fewer six times. The team is just 3-3 in those games. For comparison’s sake, the Patriots have done the same seven times and are 6-1 in that stretch.

A win will also keep New England rolling toward a first-round bye and potential home-field advantage through the postseason. At 9-2, the Patriots are battling the Oakland Raiders for AFC supremacy. A late-season slump forced the team to travel to Denver for last year’s conference championship game, where Brady lost a razor-thin decision that sent the Broncos to the Super Bowl. They’ll need a victory Sunday to help avoid a similarly regrettable situation.