The Los Angeles Rams rolled with two kickers in Week 8, and they are doing it again as they made it official before Week 9 by signing Joshua Karty and Brandon McManus to their roster. Karty is expected to handle kickoffs, while McManus will handle field goals.
Karty botched two kickoffs last week by not hitting them into the landing zone, setting up the opponent at the 40-yard line due to penalty. McManus has been flawless on his attempts since joining the Rams. He’s been fine, but the team hasn’t
seen if McManus can handle a high-pressure kick such as a game winning one.
All things come in time, the Rams will find out if McManus can handle it or not, they’ll also see if Karty can improve, but their kicking position is still a question mark despite all their changes. It’s clear that as the Rams continue to make changes, they don’t exactly know what they are doing. But they are trying. Points for trying. Then again, points for trying, doesn’t always lead to points on the field.
Rams sign Joshua Karty to active roster and bring back former 3rd-round CB (ramswire)
“The kicking carousel continues to spin for the Los Angeles Rams. On Thursday, the Rams announced they have signed Joshua Karty from the practice squad to the 53-man roster, giving them two kickers on the active roster; Brandon McManus is the other.
Additionally, the team reunited with cornerback David Long Jr., who Los Angeles drafted in the third round back in 2019. Long has been signed to the practice squad, taking the spot vacated by Karty’s promotion.
It’s surprising that the Rams signed Karty to the 53-man roster after elevating him for the first time last week. They could have used a temporary elevation on him twice more, but perhaps they want to reserve their practice squad promotions for players at another position.“
Rams Midweek Report: A Concerning Trend on Offense, Matthew Stafford’s Elbow, and Trade Buzz (si.com)
“There is certainly some context to that as Davante Adams and Puka Nacua have each missed games. Terrance Ferguson has also been out since Week 3. At the same time, the Rams haven’t pushed the ball down the field very often.
Through eight weeks this season, the Rams’ passing game has an explosive play rate of just 4.1 percent. At this point last year, the passing game had an explosive play rate of 17.5 percent and it was 18.2 percent for the season.
The passing game is less than one-fourth as explosive as it was last year. That lack of explosiveness certainly helps explain some of the Rams’ troubles scoring consistently. Picking up yards hasn’t been an issue. The Rams also rank sixth in touchdown rate once they get into the red zone.“
Commanders Daily: The Rams Have More Than Film on Jayden Daniels (si.com)
“When asked if Kingsbury and Johnson could share their knowledge of Washington’s personnel with the Rams’ defense, Blough’s response was direct: “I think so. I think everybody in every role shares information. And yeah, they certainly know our guys. We know what they know about our guys, and we kind of go from there.”
There’s no getting around the fact that the Rams will come equipped with information on Washington’s strengths and tendencies from a year ago. Kingsbury and Johnson helped prepare Daniels each week, which gave them a chance to see what he handled well and what needed more work. That experience can help the Rams make sense of what they’re seeing from him in Blough’s offense now. They will certainly know the assistant that Blough was; hell, they’ll know Dan Quinn even better. That’s the type of familiarity Washington’s staff will need to account for.“
Rams can’t waste any more time achieving a sustainable offense (ramblinfan)
“Complicating the matter is the fact that injuries are depleting the team. The Rams have played most of the season without up-and-coming tight end Terrance Ferguson. Now Davante Adams is on injured reserve. And much to fans’ horror, even durable Matthew Stafford is suffering from arm soreness.
LA is facing a midseason crisis. Yes, the offense can gain yards and remains one of the NFL’s best. But it lags at 10th place in scoring. The Rams haven’t converted moving the football into points on the scoreboard.
The strategy that has carried the offense to Week 9 won’t work going forward. The strain on the few entrusted playmakers is taking its toll.“
Commanders defense faces major challenge in Rams WR Puka Nacua (sports.yahoo)
“Not only is Nacua very talented, but Rams head coach Sean McVay really moves Nacua around. “Oh, they do a great job the way they move him; the way they utilize him,” Jones said. “He’s in the run game, because he is physical,” Jones said. The Rams run the ball well, and the second-level blocking of Nacua has certainly helped Rams ball carriers. In addition, the Rams occasionally will hand off the ball to Nacua. In 2025, he ran ten times for 105 yards and five rushing first downs.
But make no mistake, Nacua is still one of the real workhorses in the NFL. He hurts opposing defenses with his ability to go into the middle, catch short passes and sometimes get beat up, and sometimes break free for larger yardage. Though Nacua was injured in the opener and missed the next two games, he has still collected 56 receptions, 26 receiving first downs and three touchdowns.“
Washington Commanders vs. Los Angeles Rams: 3 reasons for optimism (sports.yahoo)
“A steady ground game could create more manageable third downs and make play-action more effective. It would also give Washington a way to extend possessions and limit opportunities for Matthew Stafford and the Rams’ offense.
Washington’s defense is showing it can produce game-changing plays
The Commanders’ defense delivered a performance against Philadelphia that offers encouragement heading into a tougher assignment. They recorded five sacks, including one that produced a fumble recovery deep in Eagles territory. Rasul Douglas also intercepted a fourth-down pass, helping the Commanders finish a game in which they scored 27 unanswered points.“
LA Rams vs Washington Commanders: Three Matchups to Watch (sports.yahoo)
“Jayden Daniels is playing really well over the last two weeks, ranking top ten in multiple categories and leading the league with zero turnovers. Through five games, he has thrown for 976 yards, six touchdowns, and zero interceptions on a 62.8% completion rate — and he has added 236 rushing yards and two scores on the ground. Daniels was 16-of-29 for 217 yards in the Sunday night win over Philadelphia, and he followed a 199 passing yard, 103 rushing yard, two score performance from week five with that gritty showing.
Now he faces a Los Angeles Rams defense that will test whether the momentum is real. The Rams have shown they can pressure the quarterback and take away one side of the field, so Daniels’ ability to extend plays, work through progressions, and hit the deep ball will all be on display.“
Commanders vs Rams predictions, picks, odds for NFL Week 9 game Sunday (azcentral)
“Which team has the best chance to win the game according to NFL Week 9 win probabilities?
Check out The Arizona Republic’s score projection for the Sunday football game, as well as Rams vs. Commanders picks, odds and win chances for the NFL Week 9 game, which can be seen at 11 a.m. MST on FOX (stream with FUBO).“
Rams pass rush poses major test for Commanders (cbssports)
“Even absent Garrett, with Donald drawing attention in the middle, Young has been able to flourish. He’s got 4 1/2 sacks this season.
“When you allocate resources to one elite premium player, he’s gonna get a one-on-one matchup,” Blough said. “We gotta be able to win on the perimeter. And he’s elite pass rusher, really good bull rush in this league and we gotta be ready for him.”
While Young provides a challenge on the edge, Donald, who doesn’t have a sack this season, still can have a massive impact on how an opposing offense operates with an interior rush.“
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