The Los Angeles Rams suffered a crushing defeat to the San Francisco 49ers in their season opener in Melbourne, Australia. They will now look to bounce back when they face the New York Giants at SoFi Stadium on Monday Night Football.
However, Sean McVay’s led side will be without one of its most significant offseason additions when it takes the field against the Giants.
Is Myles Garrett injured?
Defensive end Myles Garrett has been placed on injured reserve following knee surgery and will miss Monday night’s game.
The 30-year-old underwent surgery on his knee after the Rams’ season opener and was subsequently moved to injured reserve. The transaction means he will miss at least four games, although the team has not established a firm timetable for his return.
The Rams had already expected Garrett to sit out the matchup with the Giants after confirming that he would undergo arthroscopic knee surgery.
Head coach Sean McVay has since maintained that the team will not rush the veteran pass rusher back and wants to evaluate his recovery before setting a definitive return date.
Major offseason addition
The timing of the injury is especially notable because Garrett was one of the Rams’ biggest moves during the offseason. Los Angeles acquired the star pass rusher from the Cleveland Browns with the expectation that he would become a central part of its defensive front and provide a major boost to the team’s pass rush.
Garrett’s knee problem, however, had already affected his preparation during training camp. Despite dealing with the issue, he played in the season opener against the 49ers, but his performance was limited as Los Angeles struggled throughout the game.
Garrett struggled in season opener
The Rams defensive end’s status became a bigger concern following the Rams’ loss to San Francisco. He played through the knee issue but finished the game without a tackle or sack. He did, however, generate five quarterback pressures, which led the Rams to reassess the situation after the game.
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The Rams ultimately determined that surgery was necessary. McVay explained that the decision came after evaluating how Garrett felt following the game and recognizing that the injury was affecting his ability to impact the contest as expected.
Rams face extended Garrett absence
Garrett will miss at least the next four games while on injured reserve, including Monday night’s meeting with the Giants.
The Rams are also scheduled to face the Broncos, Eagles and Bills during that stretch, with Week 6 against the Cardinals representing the earliest point at which Garrett could potentially return.