The Rams’ trip to Washington comes with a simple defensive assignment: don’t let Jayden Daniels take over the game.
That’s the whole blueprint, and it starts with the same lesson Los Angeles should still have burned into its memory from Week 5. Josh Allen ripped the Rams for 121 rushing yards on just 10 carries, and a lot of that damage came on broken plays and ad hoc scrambles.
The issue then was glaring: coordinator Chris Shula never adjusted by sending a spy to keep Allen contained. Against Daniels, that can’t happen again.
Daniels isn’t Allen, but he brings the kind of stress that can wreck a defense in a different way. He can beat teams with his legs, extend plays outside the structure of the offense, and turn a covered-downfield snap into a chunk gain in a heartbeat. He already has a 100-yard rushing game this season, and his numbers on the ground jump off the page: 236 rushing yards at 8.7 per carry, three carries of 20-plus, and a 38-yard run that stands as the longest on the Commanders so far.
Washington’s offense doesn’t offer much else to keep the Rams up at night. The Commanders’ running backs are averaging just 3.8 yards per carry, and in the passing game Antonio Williams leads the team with 259 receiving yards. Terry McLaurin is done for the year, and Washington will also be without receivers Dyami Brown and Treylon Burks against Los Angeles.
So once again, it all circles back to Daniels. If the Rams can keep him bottled up, the Commanders’ offense loses most of its punch.
That’s the theory, anyway. The problem is that it’s rarely that simple against a quarterback like this.
Since the Bills game, the Rams have seen more traditional passers in Jacoby Brissett, Kirk Cousins and Justin Herbert. Herbert can move, but he’s still mainly an arm-first quarterback.
Daniels is different because he’ll actually keep the ball and run on designed plays. That becomes less dangerous if Los Angeles jumps out early, because Washington would be pushed into a more pass-heavy approach while the clock works against them.
In that situation, a short incompletion is a better outcome for the Rams than a three-yard Daniels run.
Still, even when he’s forced to stay in the pocket, Daniels is no slouch. He’s thrown six touchdowns without an interception and owns a 96.2 passer rating in five games this season. But the real danger comes when the play breaks down and the secondary thinks it has everything covered, only to look up and see Daniels already streaking into open grass.
That’s the challenge for Los Angeles, with or without Trent McDuffie (back) and Kam Curl (ankle), both of whom are questionable. The Rams have to set the edge, stay disciplined, and keep Daniels in sight from start to finish. Do that, and they should be in good shape.
In Other News...
Justin Herbert Drama Just Gave Rams Fans Even More To Talk About
Quentin Lakes postgame criticism of Justin Herbert added another layer to a crosstown matchup that already carried plenty of edge for Rams fans. After the Chargers loss to the Rams, Lake took aim at Herbert following an interception, then later apologized to the quarterback, turning a sharp on-field moment into a bigger conversation about how the game was being viewed from both sidelines.
Herbert and Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh both answered back, with Harbaugh defending his quarterbacks performance and pushing back on the criticism. Even with Herberts uneven season drawing scrutiny, the larger picture in Los Angeles remains unchanged for now, since reports say the Chargers have no intention of trading him. [Read more 🡒]
Rams Injury Report Just Put Matthew Stafford Under A Bigger Spotlight
Sean McVay spent part of his latest availability putting some guardrails around the concern that flared up after Matthew Stafford was seen with ice on his throwing arm following the game. The Rams officially listed Stafford with an elbow injury, but McVay framed it as routine maintenance rather than a setback, noting that the quarterback has been a full participant in practice and has not missed any reps.
For a team that leans so heavily on Staffords arm and command, any injury note naturally draws attention, especially when it lands on the same part of the body that matters most to his game. McVay said Staffords performance has not been affected, which is the part the Rams care about most, even if the injury report keeps the conversation alive for now. [Read more 🡒]
Myles Garrett Puts Rams Defensive Momentum To The Test Sunday
The Rams have spent much of the season trying to build on defensive momentum, and Sunday offers another good measuring stick for how real it is. One of the weeks more intriguing individual battles has Los Angeles edge rusher Myles Garrett lined up against Washington tackle Brandon Coleman, a matchup that could shape how often the Commanders can stay on schedule and how much pressure the Rams can generate without having to overcommit elsewhere.
Garrett has been the kind of force offenses have to account for snap after snap, and the Rams will be watching closely to see whether that edge presence translates into the kind of disruption that changes a game plan. With Washington dealing with the challenge of protecting Coleman against one of the leagues most disruptive defenders, this is the sort of test that can either reinforce what Los Angeles has been building or expose how much work still remains. [Read more 🡒]