Game Preview, Week 9: Los Angeles Rams at Washington
November 6, 2026
by Steve Thomas
It’s pretty nice to finally go into one of these game previews with Washington having earned a win last week, isn’t it? Of course, it wasn’t the Eagles at their full strength – more like their preseason team, at least on offense – but still: a win is a win, and we’ll take it. It gets much harder this week, of course, with the Los Angeles Rams coming into town. The Rams, of course, have, or at least had, Super Bowl ambitions this year that their early returns haven’t supported. Regardless of that, this is still a massive challenge for Washington. Which Washington team will show up? The one that faced down the Eagles in the second half last week, or the terrible version we’ve seen in parts of almost every game this season. In order to get a win here, Washington will need to bring 4 quarters of quality football. Whether they can actually do that remains to be seen. Our game preview is below.
Game time & location: Sunday, November 8, 2026, 1:00 p.m. ET, Northwest Stadium, Raljon, Maryland; Gates open 11:00 a.m. ET; Red Zone parking lots open 8:00 a.m.; all other parking lots 9:00 a.m.
Television: FOX
Television announcers: Chris Myers, Mark Schlereth, Jen Hale
TV broadcast map: Click here
DC-area radio: BIG-100 (WBIG FM)
Washington radio network: Click here
Rams radio network: Click here
Satellite radio: SiriusXM: 195 (Wash. broad.), 831 (Wash. broad.)
Washington roster: Click here
Washington depth chart: Click here
Rams roster: Click here
Rams depth chart: Click here
All-time head-to-head record vs Rams: 24 – 13 – 1 (last 10: 4 – 6)
Last meeting: L, December 17, 2023, 20 – 28
Rams record: 4 – 4 (2nd place) / away: 2 – 1 / NFC: 2 – 2
Washington record: 2 – 4 – 1 (3rd place) / home: 0 – 0 / NFC: 2 – 3 – 1
Early odds: Rams, -5.5
3 KEYS TO THE GAME
Play 4 quarters of consistent football
I feel like I say this nearly every week, but given Washington’s play in 2026, I’ll say it again: this team needs to play four quarters of solid football against a team as good as the Rams. Washington failed to do that against the Eagles last week, despite getting the win, and that won’t be good enough inn this game.. The Rams haven’t lived up to expectations this year, but they’ve also played close games against some good teams. They certainly are looked at Washington as a win, even despite the fact that this is a home game for Washington. Only a consistent game with minimal mistakes will lead to a win for Washington this week.
Lead with the ground game
The Rams’ defense has not more success against the pass than the run. Opposing teams have just a 79.7 quarterback rating (ranked 5th) and a 60.1% completion percentage (ranked 5th) against Los Angeles, as compared to a 4.0 yards per carry average on the ground (ranked 15th). Washington generally needs to figure out a non-Jayden Daniels ground game that works on a consistent basis, and this task would be more helpful in this game than in some others.
Quality play from the secondary
The Rams have a variety of weapons in the passing game: certainly Puca Nacua, but the Rams also have three other player who they’ve been regularly targeting this year, Davante Adams, Kyren Williams, and Tyler Higbee. A slew of other players have also made contributions. Not to mention that Matthew Stafford is the quarterback. As a result, Washington’s secondary is facing a pretty big challenge this week. The team can’t afford the blow coverages and mistakes that have been a highlight of the season for this group. Hopefully, the presence of Amos for the SECOND WEEK IN A ROW will be a stabilizing force here. Washington can’t afford too many bad plays out of the secondary this week and expect to win.
3 KEY MATCHUPS
Brandon Coleman vs. Byron Young
Young leads the Rams in sacks, with 4.5 so far this year. Coleman is filling in for the injured Laremy Tunsil at left tackle. Coleman will be in large part responsible for keeping Jayden Daniels upright and healthy during this game.
Trey Amos vs. Puka Nacua
Nacua is still one of the best receivers in the NFL, despite missing two games due to injury earlier this year. Washington has obviously had their challenges in the secondary this season, but things are better with the return of Trey Amos to the lineup. As Washington’s #1 corner, I expect Amos to be isolated on Nacua throughout this game, and even when they aren’t isolated, these two will still be matched up throughout the day. The Rams have a variety of options at receiver and tight end, but this is the big one. Amos isn’t going to stop Matthew Stafford from connecting with his best receiver, but Amos can limit things somewhat. If Amos can keep Nacua from having a big day, that’s a benefit to the team. Expect the announcers to highlight this matchup.
Donald is certainly a future first ballot Hall of Famer, no doubt destined for “the small room” someday soon. For now, though, his presence coming out of two years of retirement is probably more show than true impact. However, given all of the problems Washington has had in its interior offensive line, particularly with Chris Paul, this might be a week for Donald to approaching something akin to his former glory. Paul needs to break out of the doldrums this week to avoid becoming a player in Donald’s Hall of Fame highlight reel.
OFFICIAL INJURY REPORT (active roster only)
LP – limited practice FP – full practice DNP – did not practice
NIR – not injury related Q – questionable O – out
D – doubtful
| Washington | Rams |
| WR T. Burks, foot; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP | LS J. Cardona, ankle; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP |
| TE J. Bates, shoulder; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP | S K. Curl, foot; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP |
| WR D. Brown, calf; Wed: NL; Thurs: LP | CB T. McDuffie, back; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP |
| G S. Cosmi, knee; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP | TE C. Parkinson, ribs; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP |
| D T S. Tuttle, shoulder; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP | ILB G. Stuard, shoulder; Wed: LP; Thurs: DNP |
| T J. Conerly Jr., finger; Wed: NL; Thurs; FP | CB J. Watson, shoulder; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP |
| QB J. Daniels, left elbow; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP | TE F. Ferguson ankle; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP |
| DT J. Newton, pectoral; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP | OLB M. Garrett, knee; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP |
| TE C. Yankoff, knee; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP | WR J. Whittington, back; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP |
| OL S. Avila, hamstring; Wed: LP; Thurs: FP | |
| RB R. Rivers, calf; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP | |
| QB M. Stafford, right elbow; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP |
Steve’s Prediction
Washington plays better, but the Rams win 27 – 24.