Myles Garrett's 3-Sack Return and Puka Nacua's 14 Catches Lift Rams Past Commanders 20-13

Myles Garrett had to wait two months for his first sack as a Ram. Once it finally arrived, he went back for two more before the afternoon was over.

Back from a knee injury that cost him seven games, Garrett terrorized Washington's protection, Puka Nacua caught 14 passes for 150 yards and the go-ahead touchdown, and the Los Angeles Rams ground out a 20-13 win over the Washington Commanders at Northwest Stadium. The Rams (5-4) have won three straight and sit above .500 for the first time this season. Washington drops to 2-5-1.

Washington Starts Fast, Then Vanishes

The Commanders opened like a team ready to steal one. Drew Stevens capped an 11-play opening drive with a 37-yard field goal, and after Brandon McManus answered from 33 at the end of a 14-play Rams possession, Washington needed just six plays to go 80 yards. Rachaad White turned a screen into a 45-yard gain, and Jayden Daniels found Van Jefferson for a 7-yard touchdown early in the second quarter for a 10-3 lead.

That was nearly the end of the Washington offense. Over its final nine possessions, it scored three points.

The Rams' offense was not exactly humming either. Los Angeles went 0 for 9 on third down until late in the third quarter, and a Nacua fumble late in the first half handed Washington the ball near midfield with a chance to stretch the lead. The Commanders gave it right back. A holding penalty on Sam Cosmi wiped out a 15-yard White run, and moments later Garrett beat his blocker, stripped Daniels and watched Omar Speights recover. Nacua converted a fourth-and-3 on the ensuing drive, and McManus hit a 20-yard field goal in the final seconds to make it 10-6 at the half.

Corum Sets the Tone, Nacua Finishes It

Blake Corum opened the second half with three straight runs for 28 yards, and the Rams went 69 yards in eight plays before Corum dove in from a yard out for a 13-10 lead, extending his streak of games with a touchdown to five. He finished with 58 yards on 11 carries as Los Angeles outrushed Washington 124 to 60.

Washington drew even after Nick Cross intercepted a Matthew Stafford pass intended for Nacua at the Rams' 27. The Commanders gained four yards from there, and Stevens booted a 41-yarder to tie it 13-13 with 3:29 left in the third quarter.

Stafford answered. Early in the fourth quarter, Nacua moved the chains on a third-and-11, then climbed the ladder in the back corner of the end zone and came down with a contested 7-yard touchdown at 12:51 for a 20-13 lead. "I love the way that Matthew responded after the turnover where he leads us down the field," coach Sean McVay said. Stafford finished 26 of 43 with the touchdown and the interception, averaging a season-low 5.3 yards per attempt, but made the throws that mattered.

Garrett Was Worth the Wait

The Rams acquired Garrett from Cleveland in the offseason, then lost him to the knee injury after the season-opening loss to San Francisco in Australia. Sunday was his first game action since. He finished with three sacks, three tackles for loss, three quarterback hits and the forced fumble, and two of Washington's empty drives down the stretch ended because of him.

The biggest came with 2:31 left. Washington faced third-and-5 needing a touchdown to tie, and Garrett dropped Daniels for a 12-yard loss to kill the drive. Braden Fiske and Shaun Dolac split another sack, and Daniels went down four times in all.

Nacua, meanwhile, was the entire passing game: 14 catches on 19 targets for 150 yards. "He was awesome," McVay said. "We needed all 14 of those catches." Nacua pointed to the money downs. "It's been something that we've been calling on our offense, to be able to execute on those critical downs," Nacua said.

Daniels did plenty right, completing 24 of 35 passes for 274 yards and a touchdown without an interception, and linebacker Frankie Luvu made 15 tackles with a sack of Stafford. The Commanders simply could not run the ball, managing 60 yards on 19 carries.

The Turning Point

Garrett's strip-sack before halftime. Washington had just been gifted the ball off Nacua's fumble, already led by seven and had every bit of the momentum. Instead of a chance at a two-score cushion, the Commanders gave the ball away on their first snap and watched the Rams kick their way back within four. Washington never reached the end zone again.

The Numbers Behind It

• 14 catches on 19 targets for Nacua, good for 150 yards.
• 3 sacks, three tackles for loss and three quarterback hits for Garrett in his return.
• 3 points for Washington over its final nine possessions.
• 3 of 14 on third down for the Rams, who still won.
• 124 to 60 in rushing yards, Los Angeles over Washington.
• 10 penalties for 70 yards by the Rams.

What It Means

The Rams sit second in the NFC West behind San Francisco. The streak started with a 35-21 win in Las Vegas, continued with a 24-9 handling of the Chargers, and now includes a road grinder that was not especially pretty. "There was a lot of opportunities that we missed offensively to make plays, extend drives, but they did enough," McVay said. Los Angeles visits Arizona on Nov. 15, a rematch of the Cardinals' 18-16 win in Week 6. Left guard Steve Avila left with a hamstring injury and did not return, and the Rams played with two cornerbacks down after Trent McDuffie was among the inactives.

Washington is last in the NFC East, a week removed from a 27-10 win over Philadelphia that briefly suggested the season was turning, and has a short week to sort it out. Guard Lucas Patrick was ruled out with a concussion, cornerback Amik Robertson got hurt midway through the fourth quarter and did not return, Treylon Burks was out and Terry McLaurin is done for the season. The Commanders visit the division-leading Giants on Thursday, Nov. 12. "Frustrating game," coach Dan Quinn said. "Once again, we have not nailed our complementary football and I'll keep saying it until we do."

One Last Lateral

Washington got one final shot from the Rams' 31 with nine seconds left. The last snap dissolved into a lateral that Jaylen McCollough knocked loose as time expired, a fitting end to an afternoon of good intentions and missing pieces. "We're too far along to not have it all working together," Quinn said. Thursday is coming fast either way.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN and theScore. Postgame quotes as reported by the Associated Press. Additional reporting from CBS Sports, Athlon Sports and TheRams.com.