INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald had one lasting memory of Super Bowl LIII against the New England Patriots.

"We lost," Donald said before an impending rematch.

That loss has fueled Donald and the Rams for the past 22 months and on Thursday night, Donald got the small amount of the payback he sought as the Rams shut down the Patriots 24-3 at SoFi Stadium.

"We definitely wanted that payback, definitely wanted to get our revenge from the Super Bowl," Rams defensive lineman Michael Brockers said after the game. 

The Rams defense dominated throughout and forced Patriots coach Bill Belichick to replace quarterback Cam Newton with Jarrett Stidham in the fourth quarter.

"They've been such a strong point for our team," Rams coach Sean McVay said about the defense, which had six sacks and an interception returned for a touchdown.

The lopsided win avenges some of the embarrassment felt on that disappointing February day in 2019, when the Rams' high-powered offense mustered only three points against Belichick and Tom Brady in a 13-3 defeat.

Before Thursday's game, quarterback Jared Goff said his memories against the Patriots amounted to "not very many good ones," and McVay called Super Bowl LIII "a very humbling night."

When asked Thursday if he thought about redemption over the Patriots, McVay downplayed any notion of it.

"It enters my mind because that's all you guys ask me about. So, you know, I'm just kind of kidding a little bit, but no," McVay said, adding that redemption "doesn't get back the hurt and the scars of that night. I can promise you that."

Unlike Super Bowl LIII, McVay and Goff were able to get the offense moving Thursday.

Goff passed for 137 yards and one touchdown, with an interception, and also scored on a QB sneak for his first victory over the Patriots in three tries. And the Rams leaned heavily on the run, as rookie Cam Akers moved into the starting lineup and McVay ditched a running back committee to utilize Akers as a feature back. A second-round draft pick from Florida State, Akers rushed for a career-high 171 yards on 29 carries and caught two passes for 23 yards.

"When you go out at practice and you prepare the right way, you get rewarded," Akers said.

Donald led a disruptive defensive effort and linebacker Kenny Young intercepted a Newton screen pass and returned it 79 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter.

Young's pick-six marked the third straight game with a defensive touchdown for the Rams, which is the longest streak in the NFL this season and the Rams' longest streak since 2003, according to ESPN Stats and Information Research.

The Pats rushed for 107 yards on 29 carries, an average of 3.7 yards per carry. They entered Thursday averaging 147.5 rushing yards per game.

"We knew that they had a really good running game," said Brockers, who had two sacks. "We just took it personal, defensively we took it personal. We wanted to stop their run game."

The Rams improve to 9-4 and remain in first place in the NFC West for at least another week as they prepare to close out the regular season against the winless New York Jets and with division matchups against the Seattle Seahawks (8-4) and Arizona Cardinals (6-6).