The Los Angeles Rams are above .500 for the first time this season after Myles Garrett marked his return from injury with three sacks and Puka Nacua caught 14 passes for 150 yards in a 20-13 win over the Washington Commanders at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, on Sunday, 8 November.

Garrett, playing for the first time since the season opener after knee surgery kept him out for seven games, also forced a fumble, while Nacua's leaping seven-yard touchdown catch early in the fourth quarter broke a 13-13 tie and proved to be the winning score. The victory was the Rams' third in a row and lifted them to 5-4, two weeks after they stood at 2-4.

Garrett changes the game on his return

The reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year, acquired from Cleveland in the offseason, made his presence felt late in the first half. He exploded off the edge to strip-sack Jayden Daniels, his first sack in a Rams uniform, and linebacker Omar Speights recovered the ball at the Washington 46. It was Daniels' first turnover of the season, and Brandon McManus followed with a field goal that cut Washington's lead to 10-6 at half-time.

Garrett was not finished. With Washington driving late in the game, he sacked Daniels for a 12-yard loss on third-and-five with 2:31 left, forcing the fourth-and-17 that Washington could not convert. He finished with three sacks, three tackles for loss, three quarterback hits and a forced fumble.

"I thought our guys did a great job of being able to find a way," Rams coach Sean McVay said. "There was a lot of opportunities that we missed offensively to make plays, extend drives, but they did enough."

Nacua carries the passing game

Nacua was the target on 19 of Matthew Stafford's 43 pass attempts, catching 14 of them for a season-high 150 yards. He also ran twice for 20 yards, and no other Ram had more than 20 receiving yards, underlining how heavily the offence leaned on him with Davante Adams out injured.

After the Rams had failed to convert their first nine third-down attempts, they converted three on the same fourth-quarter possession. The 12-play, 65-yard drive included a 19-yard catch by Nacua on third-and-11, and Stafford then found him in the corner of the end zone for the seven-yard touchdown that put Los Angeles ahead 20-13 with 12:51 left.

There was a worrying moment at the end, as Nacua hurt his knee on the Rams' final offensive play and is due to have an MRI scan on Monday. He had also been taken briefly to the medical tent earlier in the game but returned.

Washington's missed chances

Washington, who fell to 2-6-1, had led 10-3 early in the second quarter after Van Jefferson caught a seven-yard touchdown pass from Daniels against his former team. Blake Corum's touchdown run put the Rams ahead 13-10 after half-time, before Nick Cross intercepted Stafford and Drew Stevens kicked a 41-yard field goal to tie the game at 13 with 3:24 left in the third quarter.

That proved to be Washington's only score in the final 44 minutes. Two drives in the closing minutes ended without points, including a lateral play as time expired, as the Rams' defence held firm.

Stafford completed 26 of 43 passes for 228 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Daniels threw for 274 yards and a touchdown on 24 of 35 passing for Washington.

The Rams travel to Arizona next Sunday, while Washington visit the NFC East-leading New York Giants on Thursday night.