The Los Angeles Rams travel to visit the Washington Commanders this week, hoping to come away with a victory and a winning record for the first time this season. Here are the major storylines entering the contest.
Myles Garrett and the future
On Friday, the Rams declared that star defender Myles Garrett will play for the first time since Week 1. After undergoing surgery following the team's loss in Australia, Garrett has yet to play for the franchise in the United States. Now, he will do so in Landover, Maryland.
How will he look? Is he truly ready to return? How will his return impact the rotation? Garrett could change Los Angeles' fortunes for the better, but what that will look like remains to be seen. Also, as much as we hate to ask, is his body ready for the upcoming
part of the season? The Rams' championship hopes are likely riding on it.
Will McVay trust the sword over the pen?
Despite Kyren Williams and Blake Corum's big-time performance against the Las Vegas Raiders two weeks ago, head coach Sean McVay abandoned the run – especially out of multiple tight end formations – for a pass-happy approach out of 11 personnel last Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers.
That was the plan of attack in the first half, with the offense going nowhere until they turned up the tempo to close out the half. McVay went to the power run in the second half; Corum had himself a day before Williams closed the game out.
Will McVay wait once again to get his running backs going, or will he finally switch up his style, trusting his Jimmys and Joes over Xs and Os?
The preview is over
The Rams have yet to make a trade and likely won't before the November 10th trade deadline. They haven't been major buyers during the middle of the season since their acquisition of Von Miller in 2021, so this Washington game will serve as the final preview of what the roster will look like down the stretch.
With Jaylen Watson out for the season, we're about to witness exactly how strong this defensive secondary really is, while we have to wait and see what the offense has in store. The major storyline revolves around special teams. Through eight games, the Rams have yet to field a competent unit. No big names are walking through the door, so do they have enough to win a championship?
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: 3 biggest storylines for the Rams on Sunday vs. Commanders
