What We Saw Roundup – Week 9

We watched every NFL Week 9 game so you don't have to — Here's What We Saw!

Brett Ford
What We Saw 45 Minutes Ago
Series Navigation
Introduction
Jaguars @ Ravens
Bengals @ Falcons
Cowboys @ Colts
Jets @ Chiefs
Lions @ Dolphins
Browns @ Saints
Giants @ Eagles
Rams @ Commanders
Broncos @ Panthers
Texans @ Chargers
Raiders @ 49ers
Packers @ Patriots
Cardinals @ Seahawks
Buccaneers @ Bears

Rams @ Commanders

Final Score: Rams 20, Commanders 13

Senior Writer: Benjamin Haller (@benjaminhaller1.bsky.social on Bluesky)

 

Three Up

  • Puka Nacua – Puka was the benefit of both game script and the inability of anyone else on the offense to make a catch. Stafford fed his main man despite a fumble late in the first half that some receivers might see bench time for. Not Nacua, who responded with a season high 150 yards receiving.
  • Blake Corum – slowly making his case for more share of the backfield, Corum took advantage of the the hot hand to open the second half and made an impact on the scoreboard and the fantasy stat sheet.
  • Van Jefferson – there’s opportunity in this wide receiver room and Jefferson certainly made his case to be featured more.

Three Down

  • Kyren Williams – the return of Corum has stifled Williams’ momentum. He is still an integral part of this offense but expectations need to be tempered moving forward.
  • Stefon Diggs – on a day when the Commanders needed a old hand to give them plays to extend drives, Diggs looked off kilter and at times uninterested.
  • Tyler Higbee – the big tight end was near anonymous in the Rams offense as the Commanders took away easy throws to him. After a promising fantasy start to the year, Higbee is slipping back to the irrelevant pile ( or The Glob, as Jay puts it).

 

Los Angeles Rams

 

Quarterback

 

Matthew Stafford: 26/43, 228 Yards, TD, INT, Sack | 1 Carry, 1 Yard

 

The veteran has struggled with accuracy in 2026 and it was once again the case, especially under pressure. He threw wide or short of his receivers on multiple first half drives with only his connection with Puka proving positive. He did see Tutu Atwell drop an easy catch over the middle midway through the second quarter to end a promising drive when down by a score. He then missed Atwell over the middle when wide open at midfield on the following drive. Luckily, Stafford found Nacua on fourth down and the Rams managed to get a field goal to make it a 10-6 game at the half. Stafford leaned on the two offensive assets he has opening up the second half, Nacua and the run-game. Stafford orchestrated a smart 12-play, 65-yard touchdown drive that chipped away at a blitzing Commanders defense. He did throw a poor interception on the following drive, however by forcing a ball on 3rd & 15 deep in his own territory into double coverage in the direction of Nacua. As had been the case in the first half, however the Commanders could not take advantage and a fabulous throw to Nacua on 3rd & 11 at the end of the third quarter proved to be enough to manufacture another touchdown drive to squeak the Rams through this game. Stafford found his main man in the back corner of the endzone in heavy coverage for what proved to be the winning touchdown.

 

Running Back

 

Kyren Williams: 15 Carries, 45 Yards | 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 16 Yards

 

One of the most consistent runners in the NFL this season, Williams found nowhere to run against a Commanders defensive front that played a fantastic game across the board. He only saw four carries in a first half where the Rams couldn’t find any rhythm and Stafford struggled with his accuracy. Corum’s emergence has also eaten into his share of carries. He was overthrown by Stafford in the redzone at the end of the first half. He had two carries inside the Commanders 10-yard line in the third quarter but was stuffed at the line on both occasions.

 

Blake Corum: 11 Carries, 58 Yards, TD | 2 Targets

 

Corum looked the more explosive back in this game and handled the majority of the outside zone carries in the first half, one of which got the Rams offense kickstarted late in the second quarter – Corum bounced to the outside on a shifty 12-yard run that took the Rams deep in Commanders territory but Stafford took a sack and then Nacua fumbled the ball away on the following two snaps. It was that kind of day for the Rams run game, no consistency at all. Corum ran hard coming out for the second half and his beautiful 15-yard run between the tackles set the Rams’ first touchdown drive. Corum handled all four carries on the drive including the final punch in from the 1-yard line.

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

Puka Nacua: 19 Targets, 14 Receptions, 150 Yards, TD | 2 Carries, 20 Yards, Fumble (Lost)

 

It was a case of boarding the Puka express train as Stafford once again peppered him with targets all contest in the absence of Davante Adams and any other true playmaking threat in the receiver room. Despite coughing up the ball on a great defensive effort from K’Lavon Chaisson, who punched the ball out as Nacua tried to gain extra yards on a second effort, Nacua was all over the formation and saw the majority of his success out of the slot. His touchdown catch was a thing of beauty under tight coverage. The Rams’ over-reliance on Nacua has bitten them on more than one occasion this season, and it could have done again today but no wide receiver in the league has a better fantasy situation than the Rams superstar. His production continues to be off the charts.

He went down worryingly on the final offensive play of the game for the Rams with a knee injury and will undergo an MRI to determine its extent. It would be devastating for all to lose him for any length of time.

 

Konata Mumpfield: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 20 Yards

Tutu Atwell: 5 Targets, 2 Receptions, 16 Yards

Tyler Higbee: 5 Targets, 1 Receptions, 13 Yards

 

Higbee was the preferred option on over the middle alongside Nacua for Stafford but he was strictly watched by the Commanders secondary in an attempt to force third and long. He did draw two defensive pass interference penalties that moved the sticks but the connection wasn’t there between the big tight end and his quarterback with Higbee often diving to try and haul in passes. His main contribution was a nice grab in the redzone prior to Corum punching the ball in for the Rams’ first touchdown.

 

Colby Parkinson: 4 Targets, 4 Receptions, 13 Yards

 

Washington Commanders

 

Quarterback

 

Jayden Daniels: 24/35, 274 Yards, TD, 4 Sacks, Fumble (Lost) | 4 Carries, 16 Yards

 

Daniels is still far shy of the dual threat quarterback we have seen him be, and there is an obvious change in tact by the Commanders to protect their franchise star. Daniels threw heavy and often over the middle of the field and frustratingly so at times as he twice threw well short of the sticks on third down and long. He had too many low throws too which stunted at least two drives in the first half. It was much the same in the second half, and every time I expected the Commanders to take a risk and go for it on one of the many fourth-and-short downs, they never did. Daniels showed good early chemistry with Jefferson but that petered out after the touchdown catch in the first quarter. Daniels wasn’t helped by a bad drop by rookie Antonio Williams on third down midway through the fourth quarter when the Commanders were moving into Rams territory. Then, on the next play they decided to go for it on fourth down but the communication was bad and Daniels couldn’t get the snap away forcing Washington to punt. Myles Garrett twice destroyed Daniels on drive-killing sacks in the second half on his return from injury. Daniels’ stats were padded by a chunk play to Diggs in soft coverage with only 30 seconds left in the game. Daniels played quite well in this game but didn’t do enough on third down to put his team in with a chance to win.

 

Running Back

 

Rachaad White: 7 Carries, 28 Yards, Fumble (Lost) | 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 41 Yards

 

White got the start for the Commanders but ended up splitting series’ with veteran Ekeler as a rusher. It was a shame as he showed some nice moves in the first series before taking a huge catch-and-run for 45-yards inside the redzone. He had a chunk play called back for offensive holding directly after the Rams fumbled the ball away which was a shame as he was showing good momentum. White fumbled on his opening carry of the second half but managed to squirm it back in, however it was a lot of Austin Ekeler from that point on so it’s uncertain as to whether he was punished for that indiscretion. White has seen exactly seven carries in five of the seven games he has appeared in – he looks the more productive back and should be featured in favour of Ekeler until the return of Jacory Croskey-Merritt.

 

Austin Ekeler: 8 Carries, 16 Yards | 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 18 Yards

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

Van Jefferson: 7 Targets, 5 Receptions, 58 Yards, TD

 

A nice little revenge game for the former Rams receiver who is seeing extended playing time in Washington due to the injury to Terry McLaurin. Jefferson worked across the formation and grab passes over the middle and to the outside on the opening field-goal scoring drive. Daniels went back to Jefferson on a quick toss inside the redzone for a smart seven yard score on the next possession to put the Commanders up 10-3 at the end of the first quarter. Jefferson then hauled in a ripping pass over the middle from Daniels in the fourth quarter for 21 yards when it looked like Washington might fight themselves back into the game but it was to no avail.

 

Chig Okonkwo: 7 Targets, 6 Receptions, 57 Yards

 

The gameplan was clearly to hit the Rams in between the numbers and the tight end enjoyed plenty of yards underneath for the majority of the game without threatening to really hurt the Rams. He mustered three catches for over 30 yards in the final two drives of the game as the Rams played soft coverage, but he wasn’t an explosive factor throughout the game.

 

Stefon Diggs: 5 Targets, 3 Receptions, 51 Yards

 

The veteran receiver had a off day on the field in a game (and at a time) that his team really needed him. It all started with a poor drop over the middle on a slant on the opening possession of the game before Diggs failed to haul in a catchable ball a few plays later down the sideline. He then disappeared for three quarters before popping up on the final drive with a 42-yard grab after blown coverage. But it was far too little, too late for Diggs and the Commanders.

 

Antonio Williams: 6 Targets, 3 Receptions, 25 Yards

 

It was a disappointing night for the rookie, who had his moments but failed to haul in two catchable balls that may have changed the fortunes of his football team. Again, he was relatively quiet for the majority of the game as the Commanders tried to chip away down the field rather than stretch it via the passing route. A move to heavy personnel may give him more opportunities going forward.

 

Jaden Bradley: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 12 Yards

Colson Yankoff: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 6 Yards

Luke McCaffrey: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 6 Yards

Series Navigation
Introduction
Jaguars @ Ravens
Bengals @ Falcons
Cowboys @ Colts
Jets @ Chiefs
Lions @ Dolphins
Browns @ Saints
Giants @ Eagles
Rams @ Commanders
Broncos @ Panthers
Texans @ Chargers
Raiders @ 49ers
Packers @ Patriots
Cardinals @ Seahawks
Buccaneers @ Bears

Brett Ford

Writer, Editor and Podcast host for QBList.com, Ravens fan, Cool Dad