The Washington Commanders are back on the road in Week 15 after a week off. After playing two of the NFL’s best teams, Washington faces another playoff hopeful on Sunday, the Los Angeles Rams.
Two years ago, the Rams won the Super Bowl before reshuffling the roster over the last two seasons for salary-cap reasons. Head coach Sean McVay has Los Angeles competitive again at 6-7 and in the thick of the NFC playoff race.
The Rams still have Aaron Donald on defense, who is as dominant as ever. He could have another career day vs. Washington on Sunday. Donald tied a career-high with four sacks the last time these teams played in 2020. Offensively, the Rams are clocking, led by quarterback Matthew Stafford and receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua.
It could be another long Sunday for the Commanders.
To learn more about the Rams, we reached out to Cameron DaSilva, managing editor of Rams Wire, who gave us the scoop on everything about the 2023 team.
How is Matthew Stafford playing this season?
Rams Wire: He’s been awesome all season. His numbers early on weren’t great, with just nine touchdown passes in his first nine games, but he was still making some eye-popping throws and executing at a high level. In the last three weeks, his numbers have finally caught up and begun to reflect his impressive play, throwing 10 touchdown passes since Week 12. He’s playing better than he did in 2022 now that he’s finally healthy, and it’s on par with, if not better than, his 2021 campaign, too.
This Rams offense has looked incredible recently. Is it because of the emergence of Kyren Williams?
Rams Wire: That’s been a big part of it. Having a true bellcow they can lean on and give the ball to 15-20 times has made a world of difference, and he’s creating a lot of explosive plays as both a runner and receiver, too. It’s no coincidence that the offense improved significantly once he returned in Week 12, putting together three straight games with 100 yards from scrimmage since then.
Washington fans will always love Sean McVay. He’s the only coach they’ve never fired. What do you believe his long-term future is in Los Angeles?
Rams Wire: That just depends on how long he wants to coach. It’s hard to imagine a scenario where he’s fired by the Rams in the near future, especially after seeing what he’s been able to accomplish with such an underwhelming roster this season. I could easily see him coaching another 5-10 years with the Rams, but I could also see a scenario where he gets burned out and wants to retire in another three years. He’s a coach that will most likely go out on his own terms regardless.
Is Aaron Donald still the best defensive player in the NFL?
Rams Wire: There are a lot of great defensive players in the game today, including Myles Garrett, Micah Parsons, Nick Bosa, Sauce Gardner and Fred Warner. So it’s hard to say Donald is the best of the best on defense. But there’s no doubt he’s still the most impactful defensive tackle in football and the best pass-rushing interior defender in the league. He hasn’t fallen off at all as he’s gotten older.
What are the strengths and weaknesses of this Rams defense?
Rams Wire: One of its strengths is the ability to generate pressure from the interior with Donald and Kobie Turner, along with Ernest Jones’ ability to blitz from his linebacker spot. The coverage from Ahkello Witherspoon has been very good at the outside cornerback position, too. As for weaknesses, the communication has been poor in recent weeks, leading to some easy and long touchdowns by the Browns and Ravens. The pressure generated from their edge rushers has also been underwhelming at times.
Prediction and why
Rams Wire: I think the Rams win pretty comfortably at home against a team with one of the worst defenses in football. This is a tough matchup for Washington, going up against a Rams receiving corps led by Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua. Unless the Commanders generate a ton of pressure, the Rams are going to win this one. Rams 27, Commanders 17.
