The Washington Commanders fell to 2-5-1 after a 20-13 defeat to the Los Angeles Rams. Here are five takeaways from the Week 9 matchup.

1. Struggles to play a full four quarters.

The Commanders have been trying to put together a complete game all season. Nine weeks later, they are still searching for such a game.

Washington got out to a good enough start in the first half. It was not perfect -- they still had pre-snap penalties and a turnover -- but it was enough to outperform a talented Rams team that was sluggish to start the afternoon. Jayden Daniels was 6-of-7 during the offense's first two drives and threw a seven-yard touchdown to Van Jefferson.

The Rams found little success outside of the field goal on their opening drive with back-to-back three-and-outs in the second quarter. The Rams ended the half with another field goal, but it remained a four-point lead in Washington's favor.

The second half, however, was a different story. The Rams didn't do much more, but the two touchdowns they scored at the top of the third and fourth quarters were enough to give them a lead that Washington could not overcome. The Commanders' offense did little in the third quarter with just 20 yards on 10 plays. There was more production in the final 15 minutes, but the results were much the same: a punt, a turnover on downs and a fumble.

Washington finished the day with 313 yards, 157 of which came on three of their 11 possessions. The Rams were only marginally better, but they generated six more first downs and converted all three of their fourth-down attempts. As head coach Dan Quinn alluded after the game, the Commanders must keep searching for an answer until they find one.

2. The defense played well at times...

The defense did have some positives against a Rams offense that was underperforming but still came into the game as a top 10 unit in almost every category. The Rams got in their own way, as Stafford overshot receivers, but the Commanders still managed to keep a talented Los Angeles squad to just six points in the first half.

The defense also gave the offense chances to either take a firmer hold of the momentum or climb out of a deficit. K'Lavon Chaisson and Nick Cross each grabbed a turnover, putting the Commanders at 12 takeaways for the season. They're now tied with six other teams for eighth in the league, which, to the unit's credit, is a stark improvement over last season.

They were only able to sack Matthew Stafford one time, but they held him to a 36 QBR and 5.3 yards per throw.

However...

3. ...But Puka Nacua had a day.

The Rams came out of halftime with a clear plan: get the ball into Nacua's hands, no matter what it takes. That plan was effective for them, as he accounted for 150 receiving yards as part of a 170-yard day (he also had two carries for 10 yards on the ground).

The Rams went to Nacua whenever they needed a play to stay on the field. Stafford connected with him on a fourth-and-2 for a 12-yard gain and then found him again on a fourth-and-3 for a 15-yard pickup. The Rams faced a third-and-11 after the Commanders tied the score at 13, and Stafford went to Nacua again for a 19-yard completion. Five plays later, he was in the end zone after beating good coverage from Trey Amos for the score.

Nacua ended the day with 19 targets and caught 14 of them, averaging 10.7 yards per catch. He got at least one target on nine of the Rams' possessions and had at least one catch on eight of them.

4. Struggles to contain the Rams' front.

It was not clear how big Myles Garrett's role would be in his first game back from injury. He ended up playing 37 snaps, and the future Hall of Famer looked the part with three sacks and a forced fumble.

Garrett was the driving force for a defensive front that Washington had issues containing all afternoon. He rushed the passer from multiple spots at the line of scrimmage, including in front of the center and getting past Matt Gulbin for a 12-yard sack on a third-and-5 in the fourth quarter. He also swung the momentum back in the Rams' favor when he batted the ball from Daniels' hands in the second quarter.

The rest of the Rams' front only generated one sack, but they were routinely around Daniels as he made throws under duress.

"I think they battled. It's tough, and you're asking a lot of people to hold up and block Aaron Donald and Myles Garrett," Daniels said. "But we have to be able to go out there and communicate, and pass things off, and just hold up as much as we can. You can't really stop a lot of people, but you can slow them down."

The Commanders will not face a front like that again this season, but there are issues on the offensive line they need to fix. For now, the biggest is at center, as Lucas Patrick is currently in the concussion protocol.

5. A quick turnaround.

It can be difficult to heap significance on one game in a 17-game season, but there is no doubt that Washington's Thursday night game against the New York Giants is important.

For one, the Commanders need to get a win to remain competitive in the division. The NFC East has struggled overall, but the Giants are starting to distance themselves from the other three teams. They picked up a win over the Eagles in Philadelphia for the first time in nearly 20 years, moving their record to 5-2-1. They are three games ahead of the Commanders, and a loss would drastically diminish Washington's chances of making the postseason.

In a broader sense, the Commanders simply need a win to bounce back from what was a disappointing first half of the season. Injuries and self-inflicted errors have ravaged the team, but despite all that, it has shown that it can compete against some of the better teams in the conference.

But, as the players and coaches have said before, they must find a way to finish these games.