With Washington driving late and a one-score game beginning to feel fragile, Myles Garrett first moved the Commanders five yards forward. Then he erased 12.
The sack left Washington with fourth-and-17, and the pass that followed fell incomplete. The Rams were closer to a 20-13 win, though they still had another Commanders possession to survive. The late stop was the most consequential of Garrett’s three sacks, and it came after his own penalty had made the job harder.
That timing is the real story of Garrett’s return. The former Texas A&M star, who played in College Station from 2014 through 2016, finished with three sacks, three quarterback hits, three tackles for loss and a forced fumble. The numbers are excellent. Their placement made them valuable.
His first sack arrived in the second quarter, at 2:20, when Daniels was stopped for a six-yard loss at Washington’s 44-yard line. Garrett forced the fumble, and Omar Speights recovered for Los Angeles. The Rams did not turn the recovery into a touchdown, but Brandon McManus converted a field goal before halftime, trimming Washington’s lead to 10-6.
The takeaway let Los Angeles kick for points without needing a long drive just before halftime. That was a welcome favor in a game where the Rams were having trouble on third down. Even a defense that gets no points for the sack itself can change the kind of work its offense has to do.
That mattered in a game where neither offense operated cleanly. Washington gained 313 yards and completed 24 of 35 passes, but managed only 3-for-12 on third down and went 0-for-1 on fourth down. Los Angeles was hardly polished: Matthew Stafford threw an interception, the Rams lost a fumble and they converted just 3 of 14 third downs.
Garrett’s first sack rescued a possession from becoming another Washington opportunity; the Rams’ offense then at least collected points.
Garrett’s afternoon also included two penalties, both costly in their own smaller way. He was called for defensive offside in the first quarter, and the later neutral-zone penalty preceded the 12-yard sack. Five-yard gifts are not erased by highlight plays. They simply make the clean interventions more important, particularly when Washington was good enough to keep finding room through the air.
Los Angeles eventually supplied the game’s decisive offensive sequence. After Washington tied the score at 13-13 with a third-quarter field goal, the Rams traveled 65 yards on 12 plays. Puka Nacua finished the drive with a seven-yard touchdown reception from Stafford at 12:51 of the fourth quarter.
Nacua caught 14 passes for 150 yards, so the Rams did not win by asking Garrett to produce every important moment. The offense created the lead; the pass rusher helped preserve it.
Garrett’s second sack came at 10:59 of the fourth. The five-yard loss sent Washington back to its own 39. The Commanders did get into Rams territory before punting, and the next Los Angeles possession also ended with a punt. The Rams’ touchdown had bought them a lead, not a quiet fourth quarter.
