The Washington Commanders are looking to win their second game in a row with a home matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. Here are three keys to beating the West Coast team.
Despite their record, it should not be a surprise that the Rams, who have been one of the top teams in the NFC for years, are good at just about everything. Although their numbers against the run are not as impressive, they have a stout defensive front led by Aaron Donald and could have Myles Garrett back this weekend. The San Francisco 49ers and Buffalo Bills dominated them on the ground with 174 and 234 rushing yards, respectively, but they have also given up less than 100 rushing yards in half their games.
While the Commanders are thin at running back this week with both Jacory Croskey-Merritt and Jeremy McNichols on Injured Reserve, they feel like they have a shot at establishing a ground presence against Los Angeles. Jayden Daniels, the leading rusher for a quarterback in the NFC, averages 8.7 yards per carry and accounts for 27% of the team's rushing yards this season. Most of that has come from his ability as a scrambler, as the team has tried to limit designed runs for the quarterback under offensive coordinator David Blough.
But any production they have cannot come solely from Daniels. Rachaad White and Austin Ekeler must find a way to gain positive yardage, and in theory, that is possible. They both average over four yards per carry, and while neither has carried the ball much so far this season, they do make the most of their opportunities.
Here's one common trend for the four teams that have beaten the Rams this season: all of them ran the ball at least 25 times. That appears to be the formula for success against Los Angeles. Not every run will be pretty, but it will wear their defense down with enough time.