The reason why the Seattle Seahawks had to open the season on a Wednesday night was because their two biggest NFC West rivals, were playing down under on Thursday night. The San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams kicked off the first NFL game in Australia, and due to the time difference, their game was broadcast on Thursday night in the United States.
San Francisco bullied Los Angeles with a convincing 27-7 victory. Turns out the Niners' plan of spending time in Australia to acclimate to the time difference was a better strategy than the Rams showing up the night before. For Los Angeles, they lost more than just a game on the other side of the world. Their star offseason acquisition, defensive end Myles Garrett, is now headed to the injured
reserve (IR) list. Garrett is going to undergo athroscopic knee surgery, and he will now miss the next four games, at least.
From @NFLGameDay Morning: #Rams star Myles Garrett will have minor knee surgery and be placed on IR. pic.twitter.com/ADKDH4gcBI
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 13, 2026
Injuries are taking their toll early on the NFC West. Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold is expected to miss at least Week 2 against the Arizona Cardinals, perhaps more, but with hope he could be back by Week 3. San Francisco rookie wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling is going to be out at least a month with a deltoid sprain in his ankle. Now the Rams are without their splash trade expected to elevate them to "super team" status.
However, not all time missed due to injury is created equal. While Seattle is catching a bit of a scheduling break being without their starting quarterback against the Arizona Cardinals and perhaps Washington Commanders, the Rams' next four games is fairly brutal. They have a home game against the New York Giants, followed by back-to-back road games in Denver and Philadelphia, ending with a home showdown against the Buffalo Bills. Los Angeles' defense will surely be tested by some incredibly talented offenses.
This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: NFC West Watch: Rams DE Myles Garrett headed to injured reserve list
