The Rams hit the road in Week 9 now on a two-game win streak, taking on the Commanders on Sunday. Kickoff from Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, is scheduled for 10 a.m. PT on FOX.
Ahead of the contest, here are 3 Keys to Winning for the Rams, presented by The Law Offices of Jacob Emrani (CallJacob.com).
1) Generate pressure on Jayden Daniels
In Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels' five games this season, he's averaged 8.7 yards per carry and has two touchdowns on the ground. The Rams struggled to contain Bills quarterback Josh Allen on the ground in Week 5, allowing 121 yards and a touchdown, but limited other mobile quarterbacks like the Eagles' Jalen Hurts and the Chargers' Justin Herbert to 18 yards and 15 yards on the ground, respectively.
The Rams are averaging 1.5 sacks per game on the season which is 28th in the NFL, and the Commanders allow 2.3 sacks per game which is tied for 16th in the NFL. Daniels has been sacked two or more time in the last three games, including four times against the 49ers and five times against the Giants, and Washington's passing game has been hot and cold throughout the season. Rams head coach Sean McVay knows sacks can come in bunches, so pressuring Daniels inside the pocket to bring him down for sacks and minimize him as a rusher could pay dividends for the Rams defense both on Sunday and moving forward.
2) Win the turnover margin
The Commanders are tied for leading the league in turnover margin entering Week 9 at +7. They've amassed 10 turnovers which is tied for 12th in the NFL. Washington holds onto the ball incredibly well, tied for the fewest giveaways in the NFL with three – including no interceptions from Daniels so far this season.
The Rams on the other hand have forced eight turnovers on the season, including seven interceptions, but quarterback Matthew Stafford has thrown eight interceptions in as many games to start the 2026 season. Four fumbles in addition to the interception brings the turnover margin to -4 for the Rams, which is tied for 26th in the NFL.
What has been a strength for the Commanders and a weakness for the Rams could be instrumental to the outcome of the game if the Rams start slow like they did last week against the Chargers.
3) Convert on third down and in the red zone
So far this season, the Rams have been quite strong in both categories of converting on third down and scoring touchdowns in the red zone. The Rams have improved to 68.8% on scoring touchdowns on red zone drives and sixth in the NFL after starting the year at 53.3% through three weeks. Then on third down, they're converting on 42.7% of attempts, good for tied for eighth in the NFL, a number that's remained relatively consistent throughout the year.
Los Angeles gets a Commanders defense that ranks 25th on third down defense (42.7%) and 30th in red zone defense allowing touchdowns (79.1%). Finding success in these areas is a start to having a successful game, but doing so for the entire game is going to be the challenge that could help push the Rams offense forward for weeks to come.
