The Washington Commanders are walking into a Sunday matchup that suddenly looks a lot bigger on paper. The Los Angeles Rams just added Myles Garrett in the trade of the offseason, and if Garrett is active, Washington will be the first team to see him lined up alongside Aaron Donald.
That alone would make for a brutal assignment. But the Commanders have shown enough fight to believe they can make life uncomfortable for top teams.
They already knocked off the Seahawks in Week 3, pushed the 49ers in a narrow loss before their bye, and came back last weekend with a messy win over the Eagles. The record is still ugly at 2-4-1, but they’ve at least proven they can hang around.
The Rams come in at 4-4 and have won two straight for the first time this season, but they still haven’t fully convinced anyone they’re operating at full strength or with total rhythm. Even with the Garrett move, this is a team trying to reassert itself after losing ground to the Seahawks in the NFC West.
Washington knows this version of the Rams well enough to understand what’s coming. Aaron Donald has been part of the picture for years, and he hasn’t missed a Rams game against Washington despite spending the 2024 and ’25 seasons in a brief retirement. His last meeting with the Commanders came in a 28-20 Los Angeles win that sat right in the middle of Washington’s eight-game losing streak to end the ’23 season, a stretch that eventually led to Sam Howell being replaced by Jayden Daniels.
There’s another familiar face on the Rams’ side, too: Emmanuel Forbes. The former Washington first-round cornerback has carved out rotational work in Los Angeles, and he could be asked to do more on Sunday with Jaylen Watson out because of a shoulder injury and Trent McDuffie questionable with a back injury.
Garrett’s status is the headline, and Sean McVay said Friday he expects him to play Sunday. Garrett was quiet in his Los Angeles debut and said his knee bothered him against San Francisco. The five-time first-team All-Pro had surgery after that game and hasn’t played since.
For Washington, the biggest question is whether Daniels can keep doing what he’s done since returning from a multi-week absence with a dislocated elbow. In three starts back, he has averaged 284 combined passing and rushing yards per game, completed 62 of 94 passes for 66%, and still hasn’t turned the ball over this season. He’s had a few dicey downfield moments, but the production has been there, and so has the ability to keep drives alive.
That matters because the Commanders are still dealing with a battered offense. They remain without Laremy Tunsil, Terry McLaurin is out for the year, and Treylon Burks and Dyami Brown are also out Sunday. That leaves Stefon Diggs and Antonio Williams as the only available Washington receivers who have caught a pass this season.
Daniels will need to keep the offense afloat against a Rams front that can attack from multiple angles. If Garrett forces him to climb the pocket, Donald can squeeze the middle and speed up the decision. That sets up a duel with Matthew Stafford, who has never lost to Washington in six career meetings and brings a proven connection with Puka Nacua into the matchup.
Washington’s defense has been aggressive and opportunistic, especially against the run and screen game, and the front seven just showed what it can do in the win over Philadelphia, when five different defenders recorded sacks. The Commanders also blitz at the NFL’s fourth-highest rate, and Stafford’s four interceptions against the blitz are tied for the league lead.
Still, there’s no hiding from the challenge. Stafford has carved up Washington before, and the Rams are dangerous enough to test every weak point the Commanders have. That includes the middle of the field, where opposing quarterbacks are likely to challenge Washington more than they have in recent weeks.
One area that could matter if the game tightens up: Los Angeles’ kicking game has been shaky all season. The Rams are just 7-for-11 on field goals, which ranks last in the NFL at 63.6%.
The Rams are loaded and difficult to prepare for, especially with Garrett expected back. But Washington has already shown it can make things interesting against elite opponents, and Daniels gives them a real chance to do it again if they can avoid the self-inflicted mistakes that keep haunting them.
In Other News...
Rams Win Exposed One Problem They Still Havent Solved
The Rams got the kind of win that can steady a season, beating the Washington Commanders 20-13 to move to 5-4, and there was plenty to like in the way they got there. Myles Garrett made his presence felt with three sacks and a forced fumble, while Puka Nacua once again carried the passing game with 14 catches for 150 yards and a touchdown, giving the offense a reliable focal point when it needed one.
Still, the victory also put a familiar issue back in view. Los Angeles tightened up against the run after halftime and did enough to control the game, but the receiving production beyond Nacua was thin, with drops and limited output from the rest of the group. For a team trying to climb in the standings, that kind of imbalance can be masked in a close win, but it is the sort of problem that tends to show up again when the opponent is better equipped to make it matter. [Read more 🡒]
Rams Receiver Problem Just Got Bigger At The Worst Time
The Rams effort to build a more balanced offense has hit a rough patch at exactly the wrong moment, with Davante Adams and Puka Nacua both dealing with injuries and the passing game suddenly looking thinner than it needs to be. Veteran Tutu Atwell has not provided the kind of lift the team was hoping for, and the rest of the receiver room has offered only limited help as Los Angeles tries to keep its attack from becoming too dependent on a small handful of options.
What makes the situation more unsettling is that the answers the Rams hoped to develop are still waiting in the wings. The team has added young receivers through the draft, but they have not yet seen meaningful playing time, leaving the offense short on fresh production and short on time to find it. For a team with postseason ambitions, the next stretch may hinge on whether those younger pass-catchers can start contributing before the receiver problem gets any bigger. [Read more 🡒]
Rams Suddenly Have A WR Problem That Could Force A Big Trade
Puka Nacuas knee injury landed at the worst possible time for a Rams passing game that had been leaning on him as one of its most reliable targets. The team is now waiting on MRI results to learn how serious it is, and the uncertainty alone changes the conversation around a receiver room that suddenly looks a lot thinner than it did a week ago.
That is why the trade chatter has already started, with one hypothetical proposal floating the idea of Los Angeles chasing Texans wideout Nico Collins for future draft picks. It is only speculation, not a reported negotiation, but it speaks to the pressure the Rams could feel if Nacuas injury turns out to be significant and the front office decides it cannot simply ride out the problem as constructed. [Read more 🡒]