The Washington Commanders are looking to win their second game in a row with a home matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. Here are three keys to beating the West Coast team.

1. Commit to the run.

Despite their record, it should not be a surprise that the Rams, who have been one of the top teams in the NFC for years, are good at just about everything. Although their numbers against the run are not as impressive, they have a stout defensive front led by Aaron Donald and could have Myles Garrett back this weekend. The San Francisco 49ers and Buffalo Bills dominated them on the ground with 174 and 234 rushing yards, respectively, but they have also given up less than 100 rushing yards in half their games.

While the Commanders are thin at running back this week with both Jacory Croskey-Merritt and Jeremy McNichols on Injured Reserve, they feel like they have a shot at establishing a ground presence against Los Angeles. Jayden Daniels, the leading rusher for a quarterback in the NFC, averages 8.7 yards per carry and accounts for 27% of the team's rushing yards this season. Most of that has come from his ability as a scrambler, as the team has tried to limit designed runs for the quarterback under offensive coordinator David Blough.

But any production they have cannot come solely from Daniels. Rachaad White and Austin Ekeler must find a way to gain positive yardage, and in theory, that is possible. They both average over four yards per carry, and while neither has carried the ball much so far this season, they do make the most of their opportunities.

Here's one common trend for the four teams that have beaten the Rams this season: all of them ran the ball at least 25 times. That appears to be the formula for success against Los Angeles. Not every run will be pretty, but it will wear their defense down with enough time.

2. Get Puka Nacua on the ground.

It was a difficult blow for the Rams to lose Davonta Adams for the foreseeable future, but they still have Nacua, who has been as reliable as ever for them. He is fourth among receivers in receptions, seventh in targets and 12th in yards with three touchdowns. It is a reality that Nacua will get double-digit targets on Sunday, because he averaged just over 12 per game. So, it will likely be too difficult a task to eliminate him completely from the Rams' game plan.

But the Commanders might be able to limit what Nacua does after the catch. Nacua is fourth in yards after the catch, and it has helped him generate 26 first downs. It's an area the Commanders have done well in so far this season, as they rank ninth in fewest yards after the catch allowed through eight weeks. They are also tied with the New England Patriots for the eighth-fewest missed tackles. If they can keep that up against the Rams, they give themselves a good chance at bottling up a key piece of the Los Angeles offense.

However, Nacua will be the Commanders' biggest challenge yet. He is tied for third among receivers with six broken tackles, and at 6-foot-2 and 216 pounds, he has a size advantage over almost every member of the Commanders' secondary. So, the Commanders intend to get as many players in on tackling Nacua as possible.

3. Force turnovers from Matthew Stafford.

Stafford remains one of the best quarterbacks playing in the league today. He is tied for fifth in passing touchdowns with a 67.3 completion percentage. He has also struggled to keep the ball in his hands with eight interceptions -- the third-most in the league. The Commanders need more of that version of Stafford to get a win on Sunday.

The easy answer here would be to put pressure on Stafford. His completion rate drops precipitously when under duress; he ranks 41st among all quarterbacks to attempt a pass under pressure this season. The Commanders have the sixth-highest blitz percentage in the league, and they are coming off a game in which they sacked Tanner McKee five times. So, there could be some opportunities there.

However, while Stafford has been sacked 12 times this season, he does not get pressured that often. Per Pro Football Focus, teams have pressured him 91 times, which ranks 18th in the league, and only 12% of those pressures have turned into sacks. His offensive line is also 10th in pass block win rate, according to ESPN. So, it will not be easy to get Stafford on the ground, particularly with the Commanders being thin at defensive tackle now that Daron Payne and Javon Kinlaw are likely done for the year.

And yet, that is what the Commanders must do, because PFF also notes that Stafford ranks ninth in turnover-worthy plays when pressured. There is a risk involved with bringing extra defenders against Stafford, but the reward for a defense that has forced 10 takeaways in the last five games might be worth it.