The Rams may lead the Commanders 13-0 at halftime, but they dominated Washington in the first half of Sunday’s matchup.
Los Angeles has 242 yards to Washington’s 83 and leads in first downs 14-3. L.A. heads in rushing yards 118 to 39. While the Rams are 7-of-9 on third down, Washington is just 1-of-7 in the category and 1-of-3 on fourth down.
If the Rams hadn’t turned the ball over twice, they’d have a bigger lead.
They made it deep into Washington territory on each of their first three drives. The first ended in a field goal when things stalled inside the red zone. The second didn’t result in any points, as running back Kyren Williams lost a fumble for the first time in his career.
But on Los Angeles’ next possession, Williams powered his way into the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown — his seventh rushing score of the season.
The Rams were on the move again when Williams lost his second fumble of the game late in the second quarter. This time, he got stripped after catching a screen pass that looked like it could go for significant yardage.
Los Angeles got the ball back and scored a field goal to have a 13-point advantage at the break.
Williams has 81 yards on 12 carries plus three receptions for 7 yards. Stafford is 16-of-20 for 125 yards. Cooper Kupp leads with five catches for 38 yards.
On the other side, Sam Howell is 7-of-16 for 52 yards. He also leads the team with 19 yards rushing.
The Commanders could be without their punter for the rest of the game. Late in the first half, long snapper Camaron Cheeseman rolled a snap back to Tress Way, who fell on the ball to protect himself but got hit hard while he was on the ground. Way is officially questionable to return with a back injury and was being evaluated for a concussion. The CBS broadcast also noted Joey Slye was practicing punts on the sideline.
Way is Washington’s holder, so his absence affects affects the club’s special teams operation.
The Rams will receive the second-half kickoff.
