Rams beat Commanders 20-13 as Myles Garrett returns with 3 sacks

Myles Garrett returned from knee surgery with three sacks and a forced fumble as the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Washington Commanders 20-13 on Sunday in Landover, Maryland.

The reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year had missed seven games following arthroscopic surgery on his knee in mid-September. The operation followed the Rams' season-opening loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Australia.

Los Angeles moved above .500 for the first time this season, improving to 5-4 with its third consecutive win. The game also marked Garrett's first alongside defensive tackle Aaron Donald.

The Rams have sought a defensive closer since Donald initially retired in March 2024, ESPN reported.

"I am that closer. So we don't need to look any further," Garrett said.

His first sack came shortly after receiver Puka Nacua fumbled, giving Washington possession at midfield. With 2:31 left in the second quarter, Garrett knocked the ball loose from quarterback Jayden Daniels, and linebacker Omar Speights recovered it. Brandon McManus converted the turnover into his second field goal, trimming Washington's lead to 10-6 before halftime.

"I tried to step up, and I'd seen I want to say Van [Jefferson] on a corner route, and I was trying to throw it, and then Myles Garrett happened," Daniels said.

Nacua caught 14 passes for 150 yards, his highest total this season, and scored the go-ahead touchdown early in the fourth quarter. Garrett collected two sacks in that final period. His second came early in the quarter on second-and-9, with Los Angeles ahead by seven, The Sporting News reported.

Myles Garrett has his 2nd sack!

LARvsWAS on FOX/FOX One
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— NFL (@NFL) November 8, 2026

For his third sack, Garrett rushed from a standing position and used an NBA-style euro step to beat the center, Rams Wire wrote. Washington subsequently turned the ball over on downs after cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr. broke up a fourth-down pass intended for Van Jefferson.

"He was at his best when his best was required," Rams coach Sean McVay said.

Commanders guard Sam Cosmi said, "It's a hard ask to go out there and go one-on-one vs. Myles Garrett when they put him up there."

NFL Next Gen Stats credited Garrett with six pressures across 27 pass rushes. ESPN Research said it was Garrett's ninth career three-sack game, the most by any player since Hall of Famer DeMarcus Ware in 2014.

According to Next Gen Stats, opponents gained an average of 5.0 yards on the 23 plays with Garrett and Donald together; the average rose to 8.0 yards on the other 19 plays.

"He got a three piece!" Donald said.

Garrett was also called for two neutral zone infractions. "Felt rusty as hell the first half and had a couple penalties," he said.

Garrett said earlier that his Week 1 performance was "the worst version of myself that I've put out there." He had played through the knee injury in that loss, recording no tackles or sacks.

"I'm nowhere near where I want to be as far as my performance and things I know I can do and how I can move, but this is a confidence booster for sure," he said Sunday.

Linebacker Byron Young recovered a loose ball to end the game as Washington attempted a series of laterals. Nacua injured his knee on that play, and ESPN reported that an MRI was planned for Monday; a person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the report to the Los Angeles Times.

The Rams visit the Arizona Cardinals next Sunday before hosting the Green Bay Packers at SoFi Stadium on the night before Thanksgiving.