Myles Garrett was trash against the 49ers, but there’s a reason for it

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It was supposed to start with a bang, but instead the best Myles Garrett could muster in Melbourne was a whimper. On Thursday, the Rams got bodied by San Francisco in the Australia international game, and a huge reason was Garrett, who was an absolute non-factor in the loss.

It wasn't just a bad performance for the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year; it was historic. You have to go back almost EIGHT YEARS to find a performance this bad from Garrett.

Tonight was Myles Garrett's first game without a pressure since 2018 Week 10 per PFF.

- Hayden Winks (@HaydenWinks) September 11, 2026

The lack of pressure allowed Brock Purdy to complete over 73-percent of his passes, while the line also allowed Christian McCaffrey to average 6.8 yards per carry in the win. At no point did the 49ers look bothered by the pass rush, and more or less just picked apart the defense. There might be a good reason for it though.

Leading up to the game on Thursday, there was ample speculation whether or not Garrett would even play, as the pass rusher had been dealing with knee swelling for much of the offseason. Ultimately, the team made the decision to leave Aaron Donald at home while he gets up to game speed, but play Garrett. He admitted he wasn't at 100-percent following the game, but didn't allow that to excuse his poor performance.

Myles Garrett said his knee didn't feel 100% going into the game.

"This was the worst version of myself that I've put out there. And I've got to be better. I've got to find a way to recover and get back to the player I know I can be and I've shown that I've been before."

- Sarah Barshop (@sarahbarshop) September 11, 2026

We know what Myles Garrett brings to the table, and hitting the panic button following one weird game in Australia would be foolish beyond belief, but that doesn't change the fact that Garrett was horrible against the 49ers. Let this one simmer another week when he gets to play with teammates who are jetlagged to hell, but either way it was a horrible start to his tenure in Los Angeles.