Rams Drubbed Down Under, Garrett Says He's Not 100%

Thursday night, the Super Bowl favorites, the Los Angeles Rams, were hammered in Melbourne by the San Francisco 49ers. The season opener was disappointing all around for the Rams, who failed to do much of anything that was worth writing home about.

Los Angeles didn’t fly out until Tuesday, while the 49ers spent a week in Australia ahead of the game. It seemed like the jet lag was a factor for the Rams, who were lackluster on both sides of the ball. Meanwhile, San Francisco scored the final 24 points of the game, including a backbreaking 99-yard drive. That spanned 5:44 and gave the 49ers a 24-7 advantage. However, none of that proved to be the most concerning event in the contest.

Myles Garrett Pulled a No-Show

While the Rams struggled to stop the 49ers’ offense, their star players didn’t contribute. Aaron Donald had an excuse. He wasn’t in Melbourne, as he was ruled out on Tuesday and didn’t travel with the team. He’s getting up to speed in the hopes that he can take the field sooner rather than later.

Meanwhile, Myles Garrett, whom the Rams made a big splash in acquiring back in June, WAS on the field. Looking at the stat sheet, though, you’d be forgiven for thinking he didn’t suit up. Garrett played 40 of the Rams’ 65 defensive snaps (62%) in the contest. However, he put up a big donut on the stat sheet for his efforts. That’s right, a big, fat nothing burger. No tackles, no assists, no QB hits, or anything that helped the Rams.

Are Injuries a Factor?

After the game, Garrett said his knee was nowhere near 100%. In addition, he said that it was “the worst version of myself that I've put out there” in the contest. He missed the majority of training camp with swelling in his knee.

Garrett was initially on the injury report Tuesday but was listed without a designation in the final report ahead of Thursday’s contest. Coach Sean McVay said that, to his knowledge, Garrett was 100%, so there is apparently a disconnect.

The game marked the first time Garrett was held off the stat sheet since week 11 of the 2024 season. He was playing for the Browns at that point. It was just the fourth game of his career with no tackles. This clearly is a situation that requires monitoring going forward. If Garrett misses any time, it would be a big blow for the Rams’ defense, not to mention their Super Bowl hopes.