The Los Angeles Rams are set to square off against the Washington Football Team on Sunday afternoon, seeking a 4-1 start on the year. Washington is just 1-3 and is starting a new quarterback, Kyle Allen, after benching Dwayne Haskins.

Despite Washington’s struggles through four weeks, the Rams can’t afford to take this team lightly. Having to travel across the country and face a quarterback with no film in 2020 makes this a potential trap game, so L.A. will still have to remain aggressive.

We caught up with Zachary Neel of Washington Football Wire to preview this matchup and find out more about Ron Rivera’s squad.

Is it possible Kyle Allen will actually be an upgrade over Dwayne Haskins? This seems like a puzzling move.

Yes, Kyle Allen will definitely be an upgrade over Dwayne Haskins, simply because he has more knowledge about the offensive system that Washington is trying to run. While Haskins is still the better talent, with a better arm, what was holding him back so much in his first 11 starts were mental mistakes and a lack of understanding for situational football.

I don’t believe that Allen is going to do anything that will ‘wow’ us, but I think he will be a solid mid-level QB that can create some opportunities for a few players on offense. That is everything that we hoped to see from Haskins this season, but they apparently weren’t seeing enough progress from him.

Is there any serious threat on offense besides Terry McLaurin?

Terry McLaurin is the offensive player in Washington that everyone knows, but Antonio Gibson is the player that you should start to learn more about. The rookie RB who was selected in the third round this past season finally had his breakout game last week against the Ravens, and there is a ton of hope and upside with this kid out of Memphis. Comparisons can be dangerous sometimes, but let’s just say there’s been a lot of David Johnson thrown around recently.

Washington is 22nd in scoring defense but seventh in yards allowed. Which is more indicative of how this defense is playing?

In the NFL, we usually use the quarter-mark of the season to take stock of things and get a feel for how teams and units are doing, but through four games so far, it’s really tough to get a read on the defense in Washington. You’re right, they are really good at bottling up opposing offenses and they tend to force their fair share of punts, but they’ve allowed three straight games of 30-plus points, all of which ended up in losses.

One of the biggest reasons for this boils down to turnovers, where teams have been able to start their drive with outstanding field position, and they usually capitalize on that. On top of this all, injuries have been tough for Washington’s defensive line, with Chase Young being banged up and Matt Ioannidis out for the year. I have faith that the defense will turn things around and start to look more like a top-10 unit in all categories, but we’ll have to wait and see.

Is Antonio Gibson the real deal at running back?

Like I mentioned above, there is a lot of hope for this kid out of Memphis. The running back position has been a bit tumultuous over the past half-decade or so, with the Derrius Guice debacle capping it all off. However, it seems that Washington fans may finally have a solid guy that they can get behind and ride to some success, at long last having a player that they can proudly draft in their fantasy football leagues and start each and every week. I am all in on Gibson, he is a hard runner, elusive in the open-field, and his receiving prowess is a bit untapped at this point. Very high ceiling.

Who wins on Sunday and why?

There’s a slight chance that this offense looks so improved with Allen under center that they’re able to give a game to the Rams, but I’m still going to ride with Los Angeles here. In the end, the Rams’ defensive line is so unbelievably good with Aaron Donald leading the way, and Washington’s offensive line is absolutely abysmal, hampered with injuries on top of everything else. In the end, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Washington cover the 7.5-point spread, but give me the Rams taking the victory. Los Angeles 27, Washington 21.