Defensive lineman Aaron Donald finished with four sacks, linebacker Troy Reeder added three, and running back Darrell Henderson tallied two touchdowns and 68 yards from scrimmage to lead the Rams (4-1) to a 30-10 victory over Washington (1-4) on Sunday at FedExField in Landover, Maryland.
The victory gave the Rams a perfect 4-0 record against NFC East teams this season.
Filling in for an injured Micah Kiser at inside linebacker alongside Kenny Young, Reeder also led Los Angeles' defense with 10 combined tackles and tied with Donald for the team lead in quarterback hits (3), adding two tackles for loss. Donald's four sacks tied his career-high set against the 49ers in 2018.
Rams quarterback Jared Goff completed his first 10 pass attempts and finished 21 of 30 for 309 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, also rushing for a touchdown. Woods was on the receiving end of Goff's other touchdown, finishing with four receptions for 71 yards. Tight end Gerald Everett also caught four passes but finished with a team-high 90 receiving yards in the win.
Linebacker Obo Okoronkwo left the game early in the third quarter with an elbow injury and did not return.
A 3-and-out by Washington's offense afforded the Rams the chance to score first, getting on the board via a one-yard touchdown run by running back Darrell Henderson Jr.. to cap off a 10-play, 76-yard drive that lasted a little over six minutes. Kicker Samuel Sloman's missed point after try gave Los Angeles a 6-0 lead midway through the first quarter.
Washington shook off its struggles from its first series and answered with a 7-yard touchdown run by quarterback Kyle Allen on its second series to take a 7-6 lead with 1:34 left in the first quarter. Los Angeles responded just as quickly, though, with Goff connecting with Woods for a 56-yard touchdown pass to regain the lead 13-7 eight seconds into the second quarter.
A 2-yard touchdown run by Goff extended the Rams' lead to 20-7 with 7:32 left in the first half. The score was set up by a 40-yard catch by Everett, a 2-yard run by Henderson and 6-yard run by Henderson.
Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey's hard hit on Kyle Allen just before the two-minute warning forced Washington to replace Allen with backup Alex Smith. For Smith, it was his first live game action in nearly two years following a gruesome right leg injury he sustained in 2018. Allen exited the game with an arm injury and was questionable to return.
Taking over after a Washington 3-and-out with 92 seconds left in the first half, the Rams' ensuing offensive series ended with an interception by Washington cornerback Kendall Fuller on a Goff pass intended for wide receiver Cooper Kupp. Washington converted the takeaway into a 48-yard field goal by Dustin Hopkins to cut the Rams' lead to 20-10 at the half.
Allen was cleared to return at the start of the second half, but Washington kept Smith at quarterback instead.
With Smith staying under center, the Rams forced another 3-and-out and turned the defensive stop into a 37-yard field goal by Sloman for a 23-10 lead midway through the third quarter. The score was set up by a 49-yard completion from Goff to Kupp.
An 11-yard touchdown pass from Goff to Henderson extended the Rams' lead to 30-10 with 6:37 left in the fourth quarter, helped by a 29-yard completion from Goff to wide receiver Josh Reynolds on the drive. The Rams maintained that lead comfortably for the remainder of the game.
