The Los Angeles Rams won an ugly one against the Washington Commanders on Sunday, improving to 5-4 on the year before next week's rematch with the Arizona Cardinals. They went 3-for-14 on third down, turned it over twice and committed 10 penalties, but they did just enough to hold on for the victory, 20-13.
Puka Nacua was a big reason the Rams won, catching 14 passes for 150 yards and a touchdown, while Myles Garrett's return made a world of difference for the pass rush. They were among the best performers for Los Angeles on Sunday.
Stud: Puka Nacua
What more can Nacua do at this point? He caught 14 passes on 19 targets, putting up 150 yards receiving (and 20 rushing) in the game. He's been the Rams' only consistent receiver with Davante Adams out, to the point where
Matthew Stafford doesn't seem to trust anyone else. His touchdown grab in the fourth quarter was spectacular, leaping and wrestling the ball away from the defender for six points. It was one of his best performances of the season.
Stud: Myles Garrett
Welcome back, Myles Garrett. He forced a fumble in the first half that was recovered by Omar Speights, and while it was ruled a strip-sack, it didn't feel like a true sack. No problem, because there was no doubt about his second sack of the game in the fourth quarter, beating the left tackle and getting to Daniels in the pocket. And for good measure, he recorded sack No. 3 later on in the fourth quarter, taking Daniels down for a 12-yard loss to make it fourth-and-17. He looked much more explosive in this game than he did in the opener against the 49ers.
Stud: Blake Corum
Corum continues to be a spark plug for the Rams offense as a runner, giving them exactly what they needed to open the third quarter with 30 yards and a touchdown on the drive. He scored a touchdown in his fifth straight game, showing that nose for the end zone that he had while at Michigan. Kyren Williams is still the starter, but Corum has become the Rams' bigger playmaker out of the backfield and finished with a team-high 58 yards on 11 carries.
Stud: Nate Landman
Landman punched out the ball twice in this game, though neither resulted in a recovered fumble by the Rams. The first time it was to force an incompletion, and the second was recovered by the Commanders to maintain possession. He has the best Peanut Punch in the NFL, always finding the football and knocking it out of ball carriers' hands.
Stud: Joshua Karty
Karty did his job in this game. He booted two touchbacks that landed in the landing zone and went into the end zone, which set the Commanders up at their own 20. He also had two other kickoffs that were fielded and returned, one of which only went to the Commanders' 28. The Commanders' four drives after kickoffs started at the 33, 20, 20 and 28.
Dud: Tutu Atwell
Atwell did make a couple of catches in this game, and he had one taken away by a questionable pass interference penalty on Konata Mumpfield, but he also had a costly drop over the middle on third down. The pass hit him right in the hands but he bobbled it and was unable to bring it into his body in time. He only had two catches for 16 yards on five targets.
Dud: Matthew Stafford
Stafford has just been off this year. He threw the ball 43 times, completing 26 of those passes for just 228 yards with one touchdown and a pick. His interception was ugly, forcing the ball to Nacua on third-and-15 when he was doubled with a defender underneath. He also missed a throw to Tyler Higbee and wasn't sharp at all. It's hard to tell if it's the elbow that's hindering his velocity or he's just not throwing as accurately as usual, but Stafford has not looked like himself this season.
Dud: Tyler Higbee
Higbee saw five targets in the game but he only caught one pass for 13 yards. He dropped one deep ball that he appeared to haul in on third down, only for it to get overturned after a challenge. Then in the fourth quarter, he inexplicably slowed down coming out of his break on an out route, which led to an incompletion on third down again. It was a poor performance from a usually reliable target.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Studs and duds from Rams' win vs. Commanders: Puka Nacua lights it up
