The Los Angeles Rams were heavily hyped as heavy Super Bowl favorites ahead of the season, but looked far from a contender in their season-opening loss to the San Francisco 49ers. San Francisco defeated the Rams 27-7 in an NFL International Series game in Melbourne, Australia. It featured the debut of several new Rams players to boost the defense, including NFL Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett.
However, Garrett was hindered by a lingering injury that has plagued him during the offseason. He was on and off the field and seemingly made little to no impact on the game. Meanwhile, new Rams corner Trent McDuffie finished with four tackles and two passes defended.
Rams safety Quentin Lake recorded 10 total tackles, including seven solo, and had an interception for the Rams. "This was the worst version of myself that I’ve put out there, and I’ve got to be better," Garrett admitted after his disappointing performance on Thursday night. Read more: Cardinals’ Jeremiyah Love Sends Strong Message on Playing in Week 1 Garrett played about 40 snaps and recorded zero stats in the team's final box score.
For a DPOY, it was a surprising debut for his new team, which entered the game favored by three points or more at many sportsbooks. It was also the first time since 2018 that Garrett had no quarterback pressures in a game. San Francisco's Brock Purdy, despite having one interception, completed 25 of 34 passes for 205 yards and three touchdowns.
However, Garrett also admitted he was not 100% healthy going into the game after dealing with an injury that head coach Sean McVay previously described as knee swelling. That lingering injury caused Garrett to miss training camp, and he said it affected Thursday night's performance. "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," Garrett said postgame, per ESPN. In addition to Garrett's lackluster debut, the Rams were also without another highly anticipated defensive star, Aaron Donald, who didn't travel to Australia with the team as he prepares to return to play for the team. Donald's been away from professional football since his retirement in March 2024 and continues to prepare physically.
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