Los Angeles Rams defensive end Myles Garrett will be ready to go for the Week 1 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers despite the injury concern.
The Los Angeles Rams are preparing to take on the San Francisco 49ers for the Week 1 matchup in Australia, which promises to be an excellent game. Heading into the early part of this week, there was concern that Rams edge rusher Myles Garrett would be unable to play due to knee soreness and swelling.
Per Rams head coach Sean McVay, Garrett will be "ready to go" for the Week 1 matchup against the 49ers.
"We've been smart with Myles, like I've kind of told you guys, but his impact has been tremendous, his overall vibe, what kind of teammate he's been. And so looking forward to getting him out there with the guys and being a great factor for us," McVay said.
With Garrett for sure playing in this game, the Rams are in an even better spot with the dominant defense they have at all levels. On the defensive line, Los Angeles has Garrett in addition to Byron Young, Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske, Poona Ford, and several others.
For the Rams defensive line, it was just announced that defensive tackle Aaron Donald will not travel with the team to Australia, but after just announcing his unretirement, that does not come as a huge surprise, especially with this game being an international game across the world.
Getting back to the Rams' stacked defense, they also have Nate Landman and Omar Speights at linebacker. In the secondary, the Los Angeles Rams also have a solid cornerback room with Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson, and Emmanuel Forbes Jr. At the safety position, the Rams carry a great trio with Quentin Lake, Kam Curl, and Kam Kinchens.
So, when looking at this defense, it is very clear that the 49ers will have their hands full, and really, the game starts up front with Garrett. As a result of Garrett playing, the 49ers must figure out a way to block him; otherwise, he will completely take over the game and constantly pressure Brock Purdy.
Even if the 49ers do find a way to block Garrett, it may not be enough because it very likely means double-teaming him or, at the very least, chipping him, which then allows Young, Fiske, Turner, Ford, and the rest of this defensive line to go 1-on-1 with the San Francisco offensive line.
Not only can the Rams potentially dominate up front, but with McDuffie and Watson now in the cornerback room, Los Angeles now has a much better secondary to match up with the 49ers' receivers. This could result in Garrett having more time to get after the quarterback and put San Francisco's offense in tough situations all game long.
While Kyle Shanahan is a great coach for the 49ers and has done a great job scheming up creative offensive game plans in the past against the Rams, this time appears to be a lot different, with Los Angeles having very few holes, if any, on the defensive side of the ball.
So, heading into this game, it will be very interesting to watch how Garrett impacts this game and forces the 49ers to block him, as he will no doubt command a lot of attention and could very well lead the Rams to a victory over their division rival to start the season 1-0.
