The Los Angeles Rams just dropped their season opener to the division-rival San Francisco 49ers, a brutal 27-7 beatdown all the way in Melbourne, Australia. But even worse? Star defender Myles Garrett, the guy everyone expected to lead that D, was essentially a total non-factor. Garrett himself didn’t mince words about his performance after the game, calling it “the worst version of myself that I’ve put out there.” Ouch.
Zero, Zero, Zero: A Debut To Forget
When your biggest defensive weapon comes out and says something like that, you know it was rough. And the stats back him up completely. Garrett finished the game with zero tackles, zero sacks, and zero quarterback hits. Let that sink in for a minute. According to Tru Media, this is only the fourth time in his entire career he’s failed to tally even one of those basic defensive stats, with the last time being back in 2024. This dude split his time on the defensive line, 21 snaps on the right, 19 on the left, going up against guys like Trent Williams and Colton McKivitz. He did generate three hurries, which is something, but he never even came close to getting Brock Purdy on the ground. When your marquee player puts up goose eggs across the board, it’s a huge problem.
More Focused On Health Than The Game
It’s clear Garrett knows he needs to step it up. He flat out said, “I’ve got to be better. I’ve got to find a way to recover and get back to the player I know I can be, and I’ve shown that I’ve been before.” No excuses, right? Except he did mention a lingering knee injury that had been bothering him all through training camp. When asked what he needed to work on, he pointed straight to his health. He admitted, “When I was out there, I was a little bit more focused on myself and trying to stay healthy than what they were doing, and that showed. I wasn’t who I needed to be for my team.” That’s a tough pill for Rams fans to swallow when you need your best player leading the charge, especially in a division game to start the season.
What’s Next for Garrett and the Rams?
Good news for Garrett: he’s got 11 days to get right before the Rams play the Giants on “Monday Night Football” in Week 2. That’s a solid chunk of time to focus on that knee and get his head straight. Even better, there’s a chance another big-name defensive player, Aaron Donald, could make his season debut after sitting out the opener. Having Donald back could draw some serious attention away from Garrett, giving him more breathing room to operate and hopefully get back to being the dominant force everyone expects. The Rams’ defense needs him, badly, if they want to live up to those preseason expectations. He’s got to prove that Week 1 was just an anomaly.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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