Washington Commanders vs. Los Angeles Rams GAMEDAY Preview: Sam Howell On Record Watch

The Los Angeles Rams host the Washington Commanders at SoFi Stadium this afternoon.

On a four-game losing streak, the Washington Commanders fly west for an NFC showdown agains the Los Angeles Rams in Sofi Stadium. This will be the first time that the Commanders play at SoFi Stadium since it opened in 2020.

Rest advantage goes to the Commanders, who are fresh off their bye week. Last Sunday, the Rams lost a heartbreaker to the Baltimore Ravens in overtime, 37-31. 

L.A. hosts twice in five days; Playing the Commanders on Sunday and then the New Orleans Saints on Thursday night. 

A bright spot for Washington this season is quarterback Sam Howell. Howell is on record watch. He needs 13 completions to rank third all-time in franchise history in a single season. Howell (335) would pass QB Kirk Cousins (342) who accomplished the feat in 2017.

The fifth-leading passer in the NFL with 3,466 yards, Howell's 509 attempts are most in the league entering Week 15.

The Commanders are the 32nd-ranked defense in the NFL and face the challenge of containing quarterback Matthew Stafford. Stafford has totaled three or more touchdowns in each of the Rams' last three games and is completing 63.1 percent of his passes. 

The Commanders sit last in the NFC East division, behind the 10-3 Eagles, the 10-3 Dallas Cowboys and 5-8 New York Giants. Nearing the bottom of the NFC conference rankings with four games left, the Commanders are a long shot to make the postseason. 

Sam Howell / © Joe Nicholson, USA TODAY

Each of the Rams' four remaining games plays major importance in their playoffs chances. If the postseason started today, L.A. would be on the outside looking in at No. 8. A loss to Washington would be a major set back in their race for a wild card spot. 

RECORDS: Washington Commanders (4-9) at Los Angeles Rams (6-7)

ODDS: Washington is a 6.5-point underdog vs. the Rams 

GAME TIME: Sunday, December 17th, 2023 at 4:05 p.m. ET

LOCATION: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, CA

TV/RADIO: CBS, 105.3 The Fan

THE FINAL WORD: Coach Ron Rivera on Rams' Aaron Donald:

“Well, you most certainly got to be aware of where he is first and foremost," Rivera said. "Hopefully, with things that we would like to do, our intent to do, we can get those things accomplished.”