The Washington Commanders’ defense feels the pressure ahead of Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams, eager to post a repeat performance of last week’s win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
The formula? Exerting their will on Los Angeles’ offensive line to transfer that pressure to quarterback Matthew Stafford.
The reigning MVP is tough to defend against. Coach Sean McVay only increases the degree of difficulty as one of the best offensive play-callers in the NFL. Star receiver Puka Nacua also demands attention on a down-to-down basis.
People were interested in these podcasts
And Washington is entering the game without its top two defensive tackles. Daron Payne and Javon Kinlaw were both sent to injured reserve with season-ending injuries.
The Commanders could have used them with Stafford, McVay and Nacua coming to town.
“He gets the ball out so fast, so quick,” Commanders defensive coordinator Daronte Jones said of Stafford. “He’s seen a lot of defenses in his years.”
But the Commanders have a recipe for success. Stafford, like most quarterbacks, struggles under pressure. Los Angeles’ passer takes it to an extreme, though.
When kept clean, the 38-year-old is still elite. His 115.4 passer rating ranks seventh in the league, while his 15 touchdowns when not pressured trail only Cincinnati Bengals star Joe Burrow.
But under pressure, Stafford is the worst quarterback in the league. Per NFL Pro, no qualified quarterback has a lower rating than Stafford’s 30.4 when pressured. He’s thrown zero touchdowns and five interceptions when the pass rush gets to him, with just 5.6 yards per attempt.
Making sure that pressure gets home is easier said than done.
“A lot of defenses have tried that to speed him up, so to speak, but he’s already sped up. I mean, the one thing about Stafford is his ability, you know, he has the no-look passes,” Jones said. “He understands. He has a clock in his head, and so everything has to be calculated when you want to send pressure.”
Washington has seen a steady growth in the success of its pass rush. Last week’s win over Philadelphia showed the fruits of the defense’s labor, with five sacks of Eagles quarterback Tanner McKee.
“We’ve been waiting,” coach Dan Quinn said this week. “There were things that were better in the four-man rush that I thought were better in this game than in some of the others. … I was pleased with that and the ability to collapse. If you can do that — and then you add in the blitz package — now you’re cooking.”
Blitzing, as Jones and Quinn alluded to, does not necessarily lead to a successful pass rush on its own. The first-year defensive play-caller has made Washington one of the league’s most blitz-happy defenses. That could change on Sunday.
Despite his difficulties when pressured, adding extra pass rushers hasn’t hurt Stafford’s efficiency as much. He ranks near the middle of the league against the blitz, with eight touchdowns and four interceptions for a 14th-best passer rating.
“It becomes more of a chess match in that light, more so than just having blitzes for the sake of blitzing,” Jones said. “When you want to send pressure, when you don’t. When you want to have the front, when you want the illusion of it.”
That chess match extends to the coaches wearing the headsets, as Jones matches wits with McVay.
“He’s always been on the cutting edge, which you appreciate,” Commanders offensive coordinator David Blough said of the Rams coach. “He’s not afraid to move trends of personnel or how to use the quarterback. I’ve gotten to be around a lot of different players who have been around him and talk about his excellence.”
McVay’s biggest weapon — outside of Stafford — is Nacua. The two-time Pro Bowler led the NFL with 129 receptions last year. Despite battling injuries, he’s on pace for a similar performance in 2026 with 56 catches and 565 yards through six games.
Washington won’t be caught unaware by the All-Pro. They faced a similar task when defending reigning Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba in a Week 3 win over the Seattle Seahawks.
Commanders defenders spoke then about “premium awareness,” ensuring that all 11 players are tracking the offense’s biggest threat. That method continued in practice this week.
On Thursday, practice squad receiver Jaden Bradly ditched his usual No. 86 jersey. Instead, he wore a bright gold pinny adorned with Nacua’s No. 12. He mimicked the 25-year-old in the training sessions.
It’s hard to perfectly mirror Nacua’s unique skill set, though, with a physical approach to the wide receiver position that leads to bruising blocks in the run game and aggressive attempts to gain yards after his receptions.
“He’s like another running back. He gets a lot of yards after contact, getting the ball out of screens, perimeter stuff, can take the top off,” linebacker Frankie Luvu said. “He’s that piece that glues everything together. In our aspect, we’ve just got to keep him in a phone booth.”
The stakes are high for the 2-4-1 Commanders. Another strong performance — paired with a loss by the New York Giants — would move them within one game of the NFC East lead. Washington’s game against Los Angeles kicks off at 1 p.m. on Sunday. The Commanders will then have little time to rest before a showdown against the Giants on Thursday.
Contact the author
Please read our comment policy before commenting.