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Commanders Report Card: Washington Went Short on Its Last Shot to Tie the Rams

Washington had three seconds at the Rams’ 31. The 20-13 loss left familiar late-game problems to fix before Thursday’s Giants rematch.
Henry Brown|
Washington Commanders tight end Chig Okonkwo (85) during the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Rams at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Md., on Nov. 8, 2026. Amber Searls/Imagn Images via Reuters Connect.
Washington Commanders tight end Chig Okonkwo (85) during the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Rams at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Md., on Nov. 8, 2026. Amber Searls/Imagn Images via Reuters Connect. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Washington Commanders

File the Washington Commanders' 20-13 loss to the Los Angeles Rams away with the growing annals of painfully close defeats lining their 2-5-1 campaign, right alongside their season-opening outing against the Philadelphia Eagles, their Week 6 excursion against the San Francisco 49ers and that infamous link-up with the New York Giants, a technical tie that found a way to embarrass the fan base more than any 2026 matchup before or since.

The Rams looked exactly as advertised: talented, but never quite in sync. They entered the fourth quarter tied with their Landover hosts thanks to a slew of Commanders-esque holding penalties and miscues, yet still found a way to prevail following more late-game disappointments out of Washington. On which position groups gave it their all, and where criticism will continue to pile:

We expect a lot from Jayden Daniels, someone who's proven talented and clutch enough to drag his team into contention. And while he had highlights, this game still included a few nagging patterns that will continue to make wins tougher to pull off against anyone resembling a contender.

He made his 274 passing yards on a 101.4 passer rating against a Los Angeles defense that needed time to start looking the part, though a few lean quarters in the middle of the game did little to add to the Commanders' early success. He showed up in crunch time with his impressive accuracy and mobile escapability, as usual, reminding fans just how much they'd missed that downfield aggression between the seemingly endless slew of three-and-out punts.

That inconsistency has held him back from having his first truly great game of the season, even if he's been above average whenever he's taken the field this fall. The occasional goofs on his part certainly don't help, with one fumble, his first turnover of the season, setting up a Rams field goal before halftime. And on the snap before that disastrous attempted buzzer-beating touchdown, Daniels missed Stefon Diggs downfield after getting lucky on a few dropped potential interceptions.

While Quinn backed the short throw against pressure on the final snap, this streak of gaffes will only continue adding fuel to the fires of those questioning Daniels' situational awareness.

Jacory "Bill" Croskey-Merritt is still on the shelf, leaving a hodgepodge of reserves in Rachaad White and Austin Ekeler to ease Daniels' burden on the ground. They ended up being arguably more effective as dump-off options on a few short passes than they were at navigating dogpiles, finding ways to evade deadly Rams tacklers while failing to back up the coaching staff's insistence on deploying them to start every series.

Washington Commanders Running Back Rachaad White
Nov 8, 2026; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders running back Rachaad White (1) runs with the ball against the Los Angeles Rams during the second quarter at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

44 total rushing yards on a combined carry count of 15 still isn't nearly enough to match up against any serious defense, though, and they've been lucky to get nearly as much as they have out of the aging Ekeler a little over a year after he tore his Achilles tendon. Very little between the remaining talent and the blockers creating the holes being dashed through has impressed this season, leaving this piece of the offense to predictably struggle against a team with the Rams' pedigree and depth.

Van Jefferson's doing a lot of heavy lifting in this category, a situation no one could have fathomed he'd slide before the season started. He was one of the final casualties of the preseason cut wave, falling short of the seven-man receiver room that includes the recently injured Terry McLaurin, Jaylin Lane, Treylon Burks and Dyami Brown, as well as Luke McCaffrey, who's since been relegated to the group's full-time return man.

Left without much of anyone to turn to outside of Stefon Diggs and Antonio Williams, who each did enough given their limited targets, the coaching staff somehow struck gold in their last-minute turn to Jefferson. Against a Rams team with whom he'd once won Super Bowl LVI, he stacked a Washington-high 58 yards on five catches, including his first touchdown in the burgundy and gold.

Chig Okonkwo, similarly, showed up big in this one, coming just one yard short of Jefferson's finish with a handful of his typically athletic moves after the catch. Even if the pass-catching resource pool was depleted this week, the Commanders would be better off leaning more on the downfield attack- at least, if he knows that he's getting enough protection to enjoy the luxury of waiting for his reads to form.

I find it harder than usual to fault Daniels' protective line for this one, as the remaining offensive linemen did stand up for themselves somewhat in the face of a few legendary pass-rushers. Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald repeatedly squared up on the same side of Los Angeles' defense, forcing Washington's hand in choosing which former Defensive Player of the Year winner to double.

Unfortunately for Daniels, and predictably to everyone else, Brandon Coleman was no match for Garrett in his three-sack return to action. Few can hold up to that combination of size and speed, but the fresh round of false starts certainly does wonders for his image in the eyes of the frustrated fan base still pining for usual starter Laremy Tunsil.

Washington Commanders Wide Receiver Van Jefferson
Nov 8, 2026; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders wide receiver Van Jefferson (12) scores a touchdown past Los Angeles Rams cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr. (1) during the second quarter at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Throw in yet another center, rookie Matt Gulbin, to fill in for the hurt Lucas Patrick, and we're left with more questions beyond Garrett's most lopsided matchup partner. How could a front office that was so in on Nick Allegretti as their center through the offseason be this comfortable skipping over him so regularly in parsing through the depth chart? Another dilemma worth investigating amidst the season's nosedive.

Washington Commanders killer Matthew Stafford didn't look like he was having a great time on Northwest Stadium's grass. He threw a pick right at Nick Cross, got bumped into a sack, and required 43 attempts to reach 228 yards; that stat line included a litany of missed connections with his streaking receivers.

Washington's defensive linemen and backers deserve some credit for at least making it tough on them, and for holding Kyren Williams to 45 yards on 15 carries while more efficient understudy Blake Corum went for 58 on 11, though they did lack some of that same blitzing bite without the Rams' willingness to regularly throw to screens off to the sides of the hashes.

They held their opponents to 3/14 on third downs to give their offense plenty of chances to respond. Still, reigning MVP Stafford is as unafraid to heave down the gut of opposing defenses, a problem that ended up falling on the secondary.

It's hard to pay the back-line defenders too much grace when they didn't even have Davante Adams to occupy their attention, yet they still found a way to allow 150 yards to Puka Nacua. As K'Lavon Chaisson put it after the game, the Rams were “running the same play all day, feeding the same person the ball all day.”

Ultimately, that admittedly successful playstyle reflects on everyone participating in the productive defense, and no individual defensive back could do much to disrupt Nacua's mission. The team didn't start doubling him on his downhill routes until deep into the outing, too talented to be treated like your average wideout with room to run after his completions.

Cross did his part with a fumble recovery and a pick, and Trey Amos did his part by playing generally good, tight coverage, albeit not as tightly as he played in last week's win over the Eagles. There are pieces to work with, but like most other sectors of the roster, not enough to hold up against those with a better hold on their own identities.

Not much to note here outside of Drew Stevens doing his job once again amidst a quietly solid rookie season, hitting every kick he lined up for in a game that needed easy points whenever the Commanders stumbled across them. The defending special teamers, too, prevented the Rams from making any meaningful noise in their transition sequences.

If there's anyone who's been worth watching here, it's Tress Way, the longtime Commander whose punting effectiveness easily and oftentimes goes overlooked. The 36-year-old is averaging 49 yards per punt, the second-longest of his accomplished career, and posted an in-game mark of 46.6 yards per punt on five attempts while pinning the Rams within their own 20-yard-line three times. Even though he's considering hanging up his cleats this upcoming offseason, that foot and depth perception haven't gone anywhere with the years.

Washington Commanders Punter Tress Way
Nov 8, 2026; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders punter Tress Way (10) walks off the field after the game against the Los Angeles Rams at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Again, so little about the Commanders' scheme makes sense following a game full of chances to pursue the corner they hinted at turning last week.

The last play fits too well into a season-long case file on the team's last-second shenanigans, one that's already seen crunch-time shovel passes to John Bates on a two-point conversion and the Commanders collectively forgetting to respect the game clock in that Giants game. Aiming for a hook-and-ladder if the Rams show blitz makes more sense if Washington leaves less meat on the bone down the field, as well as more pass-catching play-finishers to help Okonkwo parlay that last attempted miracle into the end zone. Remember, they were within respectable Hail Mary range at Los Angeles' 31.

Additionally, on head coach Dan Quinn's part, that fresh fearlessness he'd demonstrated as the Commanders' debuting signal-caller just two years ago seems to have completely vanished. They're swimming below league average at a 45.5% fourth-down conversion rate on some unwilling-looking attempts, a far cry from that electric 2024 squad. They don't have the weapons or synergy to strike fear in the hearts of opponents, an issue that's leaked into the occasionally overly cautious punt.

Beyond the defense that may have waited too long to adapt to Stafford and Nacua, as well as a scoring strategy that still feels as if it's misjudging the Commanders' strengths, the staff is now tasked with escaping a hole that's deeper than ever on short rest. Up next: the Giants, who handed the Commanders their humiliating draw just last month, on Thursday Night Football.

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Henry Brown
HENRY BROWN

Henry covers the Washington Wizards with prior experience as a sports reporter with The Baltimore Sun, The Capital Gazette, and The Lead. A Bowie, MD, native, he also handles On SI’s Wizards beat, extending his DMV coverage, and has earned his journalism degree from the University of Maryland.

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