The Rams’ decision-making is already under scrutiny after a disastrous start to the season.
Los Angeles waited until just two days before kickoff to travel to Australia for its Week 1 showdown with the 49ers, then endured a lopsided 27-7 defeat. Adding to the concern, marquee trade addition Myles Garrett was unable to make an impact in his Rams debut.
Garrett finished the game without recording a tackle, as San Francisco’s protection largely neutralized his pass-rush opportunities and kept him from influencing the ground game.
“I’ve got to be better,” Garrett told reporters after the game, via ESPN. “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.”
The star edge rusher also appears to be managing an injury. Rams coach Sean McVay acknowledged that Garrett has experienced swelling in his knee, though he did not provide further details.
Garrett wore a sleeve over his left knee during training camp practices, an indication that the issue may have been lingering before the season began.
“Myles Garrett is not in the game as this drive begins. He’s been subbing in and out throughout,” Netflix sideline reporter Tom Pellissero said during Thursday’s broadcast. “Every time that he leaves the field, he really seems gassed. Remember, he barely practiced in training camp with what the team called a knee injury. He told us it’s ‘lower leg stuff’ and admitted that it is still causing him some pain.”
In the Rams’ season opener, Garrett produced no sacks and no quarterback hits. That kind of stat line occurred only twice last season, when he was with the Browns and went on to win Defensive Player of the Year honors.
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The tackle-less performance was Garrett’s first since Week 11 of the 2024 season and only the fourth such game of his NFL career.
Los Angeles’ late travel plan has become an unavoidable part of the conversation. The Rams arrived from Los Angeles just two days ahead of the Australia game rather than giving themselves time to adjust to the time change, while the 49ers arrived more than a week earlier and appeared to be the far more energized team on the field.
“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,” Garrett said. “I wasn’t who I needed to be for my team.”
Many had primed Garrett for a career year as he is lining up beside Byron Young, Kobie Turner, and eventually Aaron Donald, who was inactive for Thursday’s game as he prepares his return from retirement.
49ers quarterback Brock Purdy was pressed on just 19 percent of dropbacks (seven total), and three of them were by Garrett as he was stifled by left tackle Trent Williams.
The future Hall of Fame left tackle said that he “couldn’t tell” that Garrett wasn’t 100 percent and that he was still “really hard to block.”
The 49ers now get to fly home happy with a few cupcake matchups awaiting them against the Dolphins and Cardinals in Weeks 2 and 3.
Meanwhile, the Rams have a much tougher greeting upcoming when they face the Giants on “Monday Night Football,” followed by the Broncos on a short week.