Myles Garrett, the three-time reigning Sporting News Defensive Player of the Year, had no sacks and not even a recorded tackle in his anticipated Los Angeles Rams debut, as the San Francisco 49ers romped to a 27-7 victory in their 2026 NFL regular season opener. This was a blockbuster trade acquisition for the Rams, who snagged Garrett from the Cleveland Browns back on June 1, and the expectation was for an immediate, huge impact. That just didn’t happen on Friday afternoon in Melbourne, Australia. Fifteen other Rams players managed to get a tackle, but Garrett? He was a non-factor in disrupting the 49ers’ game plan, and that’s a serious red flag early in the season.
Trent Williams Put Garrett on Lock Down
The 49ers had a clear mission: neutralize Garrett, and they pulled it off brilliantly. More often than not, Garrett, a monstrous 6-foot-4, 272-pound edge rusher, was staring down the barrel of Trent Williams, the all-time great left tackle. Williams, standing at 6-foot-5 and 320 pounds, just owned that matchup. His superior size and lockstep athleticism meant Garrett had zero chance to bull rush him, no way he could just use brute strength to beat him. When Garrett tried his signature spin moves, Williams shifted perfectly, never letting him get wide. This isn’t Williams’ first rodeo against Garrett, either. He had experience shutting him down when the 49ers played the Browns in 2023, a game where Garrett managed only one hit on quarterback Brock Purdy. This time around, Garrett didn’t even get one hit on Purdy, and by the mid-fourth quarter, he was sitting out snaps, clearly fatigued from the first three quarters.
Beyond Williams: The Niners’ Master Plan & The Rams’ Silver Lining
The 49ers weren’t just relying on Williams, either. They put together a total team effort to take Garrett out of the game. They built a massive lead in the second half, which totally removed any potential Garrett impact. Their offense used a quick short-to-intermediate passing game and put every single blocker on deck to absolutely dominate the running game. This wore down Garrett and the Rams’ 3-4 front. Once that happened, Purdy found more openings for his downfield passes, where he truly excels. Even when Garrett tried to switch to the other side of the line, right tackle Colton McKivitz got help from tight ends and fullback Kyle Juszczyk. Garrett tried his best to explode toward Purdy, but the path was just never clear.
But hey, Rams fans shouldn’t totally panic yet. There’s a huge piece of the puzzle still missing. Myles Garrett was only half of the offseason defensive splash. The other half? Aaron Donald, a fellow future Hall of Famer, came out of retirement to boost the team at tackle. Donald was inactive for Week 1, still getting back up to roster speed after a three-plus-year layoff. Good news: Donald is expected to be activated for the Week 2 game! That’s in just 10 days, when the Rams host the Giants on “Monday Night Football” on September 21. Donald operating in front of Garrett at defensive tackle is going to make it way harder for teams to slow Garrett down, especially with Kobie Turner inside and Byron Young outside. Plus, Garrett won’t have to face Trent Williams again until the 49ers host the Rams on December 13 in Week 14. That’s a long time to get things right.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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