The Los Angeles Rams defeated the Washington Commanders 28-20 on Sunday. Washington falls to 4-10 and is officially eliminated from playoff contention.
Veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett replaced Sam Howell late in the game and passed for touchdown passes, but it wasn’t enough for the Commanders to pull off the upset.
Washington was down 20-0 midway through the third quarter when Howell led the Commanders on a touchdown drive, finding wide receiver Curtis Samuel for the 19-yard score.
The teams traded punts on their next two drives before the Rams responded. Quarterback Matthew Stafford found wide receiver Demarcus Robinson for a 23-yard touchdown. L.A. went for two and was successful, increasing its lead to 28-7.
Howell, trying to do too much, scrambled to his right, looked downfield for wide receiver Terry McLaurin, and was off-target, leading to his first turnover of the game. The Rams would miss a field goal after the turnover, but head coach Ron Rivera sat Howell for the remainder of the game.
Jacoby Brissett replaced Howell midway through the third quarter and quickly took Washington down the field, connecting with McLaurin for a 29-yard touchdown.
After forcing a punt, Brissett connected deep with McLaurin for what appeared to be a 50-yard touchdown, making it a one-score game. However, officials ruled McLaurin down at the one-yard line. That was with around 4:50 remaining in the game.
With the ball at the one-yard line, after a series of stops and multiple penalties, Brissett found Samuel for a three-yard touchdown to make it 28-20. There was 1:46 remaining in the game. It took the Commanders over three minutes of game time to score.
Then, another bad snap from Washington long snapper Camaron Cheeseman led to the extra point being blocked. It was Cheeseman’s third bad snap of the game, something that has plagued him all season. Earlier in the game, a bad Cheeseman snap led to punter Tress Way leaving the game to be evaluated for a concussion.
The Rams would run out the clock after the Commanders failed to recover the onside kick.
Los Angeles outgained Washington 445-297, and while the Commanders won the turnover battle, they went three-and-out after both fumble recoveries.
Howell struggled again, completing 11 of 26 passes for 102 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. He was sacked once but under duress throughout the game.
Brissett completed eight of 10 passing attempts for 124 yards with two touchdowns. The Commanders lost their fifth game in a row and face the New York Jets on Christmas Eve.