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Puka Nacua shines for Rams in win over Commanders, but his knee injury is a concern
LANDOVER, Md. — Count Puka Nacua among the legion of Rams players who suffered injuries this season.
Nacua was sidelined for two games because of a hip injury and he has produced at an All-Pro level despite a calf problem.
But Nacua remains the Rams’ biggest weapon — with edge rusher Myles Garrett making his own case for consideration.
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Gary Klein breaks down what went right for the Rams in a 20-13 win over the Washington Commanders on Sunday.
On Sunday, Nacua caught 14 passes for a season-high 150 yards and a touchdown and Garrett recorded three sacks as the Rams defeated the Washington Commanders 20-13 at Northwest Stadium.
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Rams hold on to defeat Commanders, improve to 5-4
🏈 Rams 20, Commanders 13 — FINAL
Matthew Stafford completed 26 of 43 passes for 228 yards with a touchdown and an interception as the Rams overcame a rough start on offense and miscues in the passing game to pick up an important win over the Washington Commanders on the road.
The Rams’ defense secured the win late, but the Commanders made it interesting.
On the Commanders’ final possession with under a minute left, Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels completed a 42-yard pass to Stefon Diggs to move the ball into Rams territory. Daniels then completed a 12-yard pass to Jaden Bradley.
But they failed to find the end zone on the final play.
On Washington’s penultimate possession with under two minutes to go, Rams cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr. knocked away a deep, but underthrown pass thrown by Daniels intended for Van Jefferson on fourth down.
The play came after Rams defensive end Myles Garrett sacked Daniels on third down for a 12-yard loss. Garrett finished with three sacks and one force fumble in his first game back from a knee injury.
Puka Nacua made 14 catches for 150 yards and a touchdown. Blake Corum had 58 yards and a touchdown in 11 carries. Kyren Williams rushed for 45 yards in 15 carries.
The Rams improved to 5-4 on the season and move into second in the NFC West behind the San Francisco 49ers.
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Rams retake lead on Puka Nacua touchdown catch
🏈 Rams 20, Commanders 13 — 12:51 left in the fourth quarter
Puka Nacua made a spectacular, seven-yard touchdown catch in tight coverage in the corner of the end zone to put the Rams back into the lead.
Nacua has 14 catches for 150 yards.
Matthew Stafford, whose pinpoint-perfect pass to Nacua helped make the touchdown possible, orchestrated the 12-play, 65-yard scoring drive. It included a 19-yard pass to Nacua, a 13-yard catch by receiver Konata Mumpfield and a 12-yard reception by receiver Tutu Atwell.
Stafford has completed 26 of 42 passes for 228 yards, with a touchdown and and an interception.
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Commanders tie score after Matthew Stafford throws interception
🏈 Rams 13, Commanders 13 — 3:24 left in the third quarter
Drew Stevens tied the score with a 41-yard field goal.
The Commanders got their opportunity after safety Nick Cross intercepted a pass by Matthew Stafford.
Stafford has completed 20 of 34 passes for 163 yards.
He has passed for 15 touchdowns, with nine interceptions this season.
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Rams take lead for first time on Blake Corum touchdown
🏈 Rams 13, Commanders 10 — 11:29 left in the third quarter
Blake Corum rushed for a two-yard touchdown to give the Rams their first lead.
The Rams drove 69 yards in eight plays.
Matthew Stafford connected with Puka Nacua for pass plays of 12 and 15 yards early in the drive. His completion to tight end Tyler Higbee set up Corum’s scoring run.
Corum carried four times for 30 yards during the drive.
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Rams add field goal at end of first half, still trail Commanders
🏈 Commanders 10, Rams 6 — Halftime
Brandon McManus kicked a 20-yard field goal on the final play of the second quarter to pull the Rams to within four points.
The Rams were in a tough spot after Puka Nacua fumbled with 2:34 left in the first half, but on the ensuing possession, Rams edge rusher Myles Garrett sacked Jayden Daniels and forced him to fumble.
Matthew Stafford then drove the Rams from their 44 to the Commanders’ nine. After a short pass to Konata Mumpfield, Stafford spiked the ball to stop the clock. His third-down pass for Kyren Williams fell incomplete, bringing on McManus.
Stafford has completed 15 of 23 passes for 109 yards.
Nacua has nine catches for 86 yards.
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Rams and Commanders trade fumble recoveries
🏈 Commanders 10, Rams 3 — 1:57 left in the second quarter
The Rams nearly fumbled away a scoring opportunity — only to get a second chance two plays later.
Myles Garrett strip sacked Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels and Omar Speights recovered the ball to give the Rams possession at the Washington 45.
It was Garrett’s first sack with the Rams.
The recovery came two plays after Puka Nacua lost the ball on a fumble when Washington linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson punched the ball out of his arms. Safety Nick Cross recovered the ball, ending the drive.
Nacua’s fumble came three plays after he caught a 12-yard pass from Matthew Stafford on fourth down.
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Van Jefferson touchdown catch gives Commanders the lead
🏈 Washington 10, Rams 3 — 14:00 left in the second quarter
Former Rams receiver Van Jefferson caught a seven-yard touchdown pass from Jayden Daniels to put the Commanders in the lead.
Daniels led a six-play, 80-yard scoring drive that was highlighted by a 19-yard completion to Antonio Williams on the final play of the first quarter, and running back Rachaad White’s 45-yard catch and run on the first play of the second quarter.
Daniels has completed seven of eight passes for 109 yards and a touchdown.
Jefferson has three catches for 25 yards.
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Brandon McManus field goal caps Rams’ first possession
🏈 Rams 3, Commanders 3 — 2:10 left in the first quarter
Brandon McManus tied the score with a 33-yard field goal.
The Rams appeared on their way to a touchdown when they drove from their 35-yard line to the Commanders’ 17 on rushes by running back Kyren Williams, three passes from Matthew Stafford to Puka Nacua and a pass interference penalty against the Commanders.
But a pass to tight end Colby Parkinson resulted in a four-yard loss, and then Nacua dropped a pass. Williams ran for six yards on third down before McManus came on for the field goal.
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Commanders take early lead on field goal
🏈 Commanders 3, Rams 0 — 9:07 left in the first quarter
Drew Stevens gave the Commanders the lead with a 37-yard field goal.
The Commanders drive 48 yards in 11 plays for the field goal.
Jayden Daniels connected with former Rams receiver Van Jefferson and Chig Okonkwo during the drive.
Rams edge rusher Myles Garrett helped keep the drive alive when he was penalized for being offside on a third down at the Rams’ 30-yard line.
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Rams’ Quentin Lake texted apology to Chargers Justin Herbert for ham-handed ‘deli meat’ comment
Rams safety Quentin Lake says he texted Justin Herbert to apologize for comments he made about the Chargers quarterback on a podcast earlier this week.
So far, Lake said Friday afternoon, he hasn’t heard back.
“I don’t know if he read it,” Lake told The Times. “He probably says, ‘I don’t care about it anymore. I’m not trying to see this. It doesn’t matter. You said what you said.’ But at the same time I … felt like it was right for me to at least say,’ Hey, man, I didn’t mean it in any disrespectful way.’”
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The 236½-sack nightmare: Aaron Donald, Myles Garrett ready to ‘have some fun’
It began as something merely conceptual, a tantalizing possibility.
Last June, immediately after the Rams traded for star edge rusher Myles Garrett, the NFL grapevine began buzzing:
Would Aaron Donald, a three-time NFL defensive player of the year, consider coming out of retirement to play with Garrett, a two-time winner of the award?
After a summer of rampant speculation, Donald signed on to join what was already regarded as a Super Bowl-favorite team.
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Trent McDuffie will not play for Rams vs. Commanders
Rams cornerback Trent McDuffie, who did not practice this week because of a back injury, will not play against the Washington Commanders. McDuffie was questionable entering Sunday and is among the inactive players for the game.
Rams inactives:
Commanders inactives:
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‘We can laugh about it.’ Aaron Donald really doesn’t want to bumble another fumble
Since coming out of retirement before this season, Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald adopted a humble approach, always allowing younger, less-accomplished players to go ahead of him during drills.
But on Thursday, the future Hall of Famer enthusiastically moved to the front of the line.
The Rams practiced scooping fumbled footballs off the turf.
“I needed that,” Donald said Thursday, chuckling. “Learn bending and getting down.”
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‘Glad to be back.’ Myles Garrett set to play for Rams vs. Commanders
For seven games, Myles Garrett could only watch the Rams from a stadium suite, on television or from the sideline as the team favored to win the Super Bowl stumbled to a slow start.
The two-time NFL defensive player of the year was out of action because of a knee injury that required surgery after a season-opening defeat by the San Francisco 49ers in Australia.
But the star edge rusher practiced this week, and barring any setbacks, he will return from injured reserve and play Sunday against the Washington Commanders.
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Rams cornerback Jaylen Watson to miss rest of season after shoulder surgery
Rams cornerback Jaylen Watson will have shoulder surgery and is out for the season, coach Sean McVay said Wednesday.
Watson, who signed with the Rams as a free agent after winning two Super Bowl titles in four seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, reinjured his shoulder during last Sunday’s victory over the Chargers at SoFi Stadium.
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NFL Week 9 picks: Bills prevail over Vikings; Packers beat Patriots
Los Angeles Times NFL writer Sam Farmer examines the matchups and makes his predictions for Week 9 of the NFL season.
All lines and over/under numbers are according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Last week, Farmer posted an 11-3 (.786) record. Through the first eight weeks of the season, he is 74-74. (.612).
Using point spreads with the scores Farmer predicted, his record against the spread in Week 8 would have been 8-6 (.571). For the season, his record against the spread is 53-68 (.438).
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Rams vs. Commanders: How to watch, start time, prediction and odds
The Rams’ trip across the country to play the Washington Commanders on Sunday will be a homecoming of sorts for coach Sean McVay, safety Kam Curl and cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr.
McVay was a Washington assistant for seven years before the Rams hired him in 2017 and made the then-30-year-old McVay the youngest coach in modern NFL history. McVay was an assistant tight ends coach and tight ends coach under Mike Shanahan and offensive coordinator under Jay Gruden.
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Gary Klein breaks down what to watch for Sunday when the Rams face the Washington Commanders.
“I look back and think of what a pain in the butt I was as an OC, now being in this chair, and how patient [Gruden] was with me and how protected I really felt,” said McVay, who guided the Rams to a road victory over the Commanders in 2020.
Curl played his first four NFL seasons for the Commanders after they selected him in the seventh round of the 2020 draft out of Arkansas. The Commanders did not re-sign him, and he joined the Rams on a two-year contract that included $6 million in guarantees.
Curl made several big plays for the Rams — including last season’s game-clinching interception in the NFL divisional-round victory over the Chicago Bears — and the Rams gave him a three-year extension that includes $24 million in guarantees.
“Had a little bitter breakup, you know, but it is what it is at this point,” Curl said of the Commanders. “I haven’t been back to [the region] since, so it’s going to feel good. Somewhat at home. Emotions will probably be high but keep them in check. ... It’s going to be fun.”
