Myles Garrett: "I Haven't Played Worse Than That"

"I haven't played worse than that. I need to step up. I have to find a way to get healthy and become the player I know I am and have been before," Garrett said.

The 30-year-old defensive end missed most of training camp with swelling in his knee and did not say which knee was affected. He played through it against San Francisco, and it showed in how he described his own game.

"When I was on the field, I was thinking more about myself and not making the injury worse than about what the opponent was doing. It showed. I wasn't the player my team needed," Garrett said.

Asked about his priority before Week 2, he gave a one-word answer: "Get healthy."

According to ESPN, Garrett pressured Brock Purdy three times but could not turn any of it into a tackle. It was only the fourth time in his career he has gone a full game without one, and the first since Week 11 of the 2024 season.

Garrett arrived at the Rams in an offseason trade from the Browns, where he spent his career at Huntington Bank Field before the move to SoFi Stadium. He enters the season as the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year and the record holder for sacks in a single regular season, set last year in Cleveland.

The Melbourne game marked the opener both for Garrett in a Rams uniform and for a fixture the club had been building towards, with Sean McVay having already confirmed Puka Nacua and Alaric Jackson would play and Kyle Shanahan committing Aaron Donald to face his old team. A quiet night from Garrett changes little on its own, but a Rams defence built around him will need him closer to full fitness by Week 2.