The San Francisco 49ers played well on Thursday in their 27-7 victoryover the Los Angeles Rams. So good, the Rams’ recently acquired defensive lineman, Myles Garrett, didn’t show up on the stat sheet.
Well, we may have an answer as to why: reports say Garrett will undergo arthroscopic knee surgery and be placed on injured reserve. The minimum amount of time for a player to be on IR is four games, so Garrett will be out at least that long.
This didn’t begin during the game; Garrett was reportedly dealing
with lower-leg and knee issues during Rams training camp, and those probably carried into the regular season. Something was obviously up during the game. The broadcast often cut to the sideline to show Garrett standing and watching the defense on the field, which, given the Rams’ predicament, would be strange.
Normally we wouldn’t be talking about Rams players and their injuries, but it’s Myles Garrett, and the 49ers just got done playing their rivals. The Rams acquired Garrett in a trade with the Cleveland Browns in the 2026 offseason in exchange for a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick, and a 2029 third-round pick. That’s a lot of draft capital for a player going to IR after one game, and 49ers fans know this all too well.
The Rams also brought Aaron Donald out of retirement. The thought was that Donald and Garrett together on the field would make an unstoppable pass rush. At this point, we’ve seen a limited sample size of Garrett, and Donald hasn’t suited up yet. The 49ers don’t see the Rams again until Week 14.
The Rams host the New York Giants for Week 2, and a Garrett injury may level the playing field.
