Washington sacked Tanner McKee five times and kept Philadelphia off the scoreboard after the first quarter. The Rams, meanwhile, went five drives without a first down before finding enough offense to beat the Chargers. Now Washington’s pass rush gets a chance to make another slow Rams start costly. Los Angeles needs to find its rhythm before the Commanders can turn pressure into an advantage.
The Rams’ recovery was stronger than their opening
Los Angeles gained only 24 yards on its first 15 plays against the Chargers, according to the AP, and trailed 9–3 late in the first half. A 40-yard completion to Tutu Atwell finally supplied a first down, and the Rams went on to win 24–9. Blake Corum ran for 73 yards, both he and Kyren Williams scored rushing touchdowns, and Puka Nacua caught 11 passes for 80 yards and a score.
Stafford finished with 157 passing yards and a touchdown. Los Angeles also intercepted Justin Herbert twice, with the second takeaway setting up Nacua’s scoring catch. The Rams found several ways to win around a modest passing afternoon, but the winless Chargers also gave them time to recover. Another five empty opening drives would give Washington an opportunity to make the game much harder.
The Rams have won and covered consecutive games, including a 35–21 win at Las Vegas before beating the Chargers. Their eight-game record this season is now 4–4 overall, with three covers. The recent improvement matters, but the full season still contains uneven performances.
Washington’s pressure faces a different test
The Commanders fell behind Philadelphia 10–0 after a penalty-filled start, then scored 27 unanswered points to win 27–10, as the AP reported. Jayden Daniels threw for 217 yards and a touchdown, while the defense added an interception to those five sacks.
Stafford and Nacua present a different assignment from the Eagles’ offense under McKee. Washington’s latest pass rush gives it a concrete way to challenge the Rams’ early execution, but one successful game doesn’t establish the same pressure will arrive against a different opponent. Avoiding the penalties and lost opportunities that created the early deficit would make that defensive work more valuable.
The Rams' secondary injury updates give Washington an opening to watch on offense. Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times reports that cornerback Jaylen Watson is expected to undergo shoulder surgery and miss the rest of the season. Trent McDuffie, dealing with his back, and safety Kam Curl, dealing with his foot, both missed Wednesday’s practice. Those practice absences aren’t final Sunday designations, but the uncertainty around the secondary matters as Daniels tries to build on last week’s performance.
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The spread asks Los Angeles to sustain its improvement
The DraftKings spread favors the Rams by 4.5 points. Washington is 2–4–1 outright but has covered four of seven games, including its last two. The case for Los Angeles rests on turning its recent offensive recovery into a steadier road performance. The counterweight is a Commanders team that just demonstrated how pressure and defensive stops can change a game after an ugly beginning.
Our team passing projections put the Rams near 256 yards and Washington near 193. Reaching that level would represent a more productive passing day for Los Angeles than it had against the Chargers. Washington’s challenge is to interrupt that progress while giving Daniels enough chances to exploit any openings in the Rams’ secondary.
The total is 48.5. Both teams’ latest games went Under their stored totals, and Washington’s last two have done so. The Rams’ season is evenly split between four Overs and four Unders. Their recent 35-point game at Las Vegas offers a scoring counterexample to the Chargers result, while Washington scored 27 against Philadelphia without needing a high-volume passing afternoon.
Early execution connects the spread and total questions. If Washington disrupts Stafford before the Rams settle in, it could keep the favorite within reach while limiting scoring opportunities. If Los Angeles starts more cleanly, Washington may need a productive Daniels response rather than another defensive rescue. The key is whether the Commanders can repeat their pressure against this passing attack, not simply whether both teams won last week.
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