Why Myles Garrett says he's 'not 100 percent' after surprise injury leads to Rams debut flop

Thursday was a day that Los Angeles football fans have waited months for. After an offseason full of hype, including the additions of Myles Garrett, Aaron Donald and Trent McDuffie to their defense, the Rams took the field for the first time in 2026. They left Australia disappointed.

Despite being pinned as the Super Bowl favorite entering the season, the 49ers handled the Rams with ease, 27-7, in Melbourne. Not only did Matthew Stafford fail to throw a touchdown pass, but Los Angeles' new defensive stars didn't make an impact, with Garrett being the headliner.

In his first career NFL game in a non-Browns uniform, Garrett was silent — and postgame, he revealed that he's still playing through an injury despite it only being Week 1.

Here's what Garrett said about his health and what the Rams have said about it.

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What did Myles Garrett say about not being '100 percent'?

After the Rams were quieted in Australia, Garrett told reporters postgame that he hasn't been playing at 100%, still dealing with knee issues.

"This was the worst version of myself that I've put out there. And I've got to be better," Garrett said, per ESPN's Sarah Barshop. "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."

When asked what his priority heading into Week 2 will be, Garrett said, "Getting healthy."

"When I was out there, I was a little bit more focused on myself and trying to stay healthy than what they were doing, and that showed," Garrett said, per ESPN. "I wasn't who I needed to be for my team."

What injury is Myles Garrett dealing with?

Garrett's injury isn't a complete surprise — he did miss most of training camp while dealing with what Rams coach Sean McVay described as swelling in his knee. Per ESPN, Garrett hasn't specified which knee, but did wear a sleeve over his left knee in practices.

Still, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year was considered healthy heading into Week 1, able to suit up in Australia for his Rams debut. It appears Garrett's knee injury is bothering him more than anticipated.

MORE: Five factors that could hurt Rams' Super Bowl chances

Could Rams shut Myles Garrett down?

For now, Garrett appears unlikely to miss further time, saying he's prioritizing being ready for Week 2. Considering the travel aspect that went into the Australia game, the Rams may also chalk his poor performance up to those difficulties.

However, Garrett's knee situation is certainly one to monitor considering it's been lingering throughout training camp. If he remains ineffective, there's a chance the Rams reassess his situation and let him heal for longer.

Myles Garrett injury history

For the most part, Garrett has enjoyed a healthy NFL career so far. It's been part of the reason he's an annual contender for DPOY, regularly playing in 16 or 17 games with the Browns.

He has had a few setbacks, though. In 2017, his rookie season, a high ankle sprain kept Garrett out for the first four games of the season, and he later missed another game with a concussion. In 2022, Garrett missed a game with a shoulder injury after being in a car accident.

Outside of his 2019 suspension for his brawl with Mason Rudolph, though, those are the only real instances where Garrett's been forced to miss time in the NFL due to injury.

Myles Garrett stats vs. 49ers

Garrett didn't register a single sack, tackle or pressure against the 49ers, which made it one of the worst performances of his NFL career.

Part of those struggles certainly had to do with his matchup against All-Pro tackle Trent Williams — but Garrett still wasn't able to get to Brock Purdy at all.

According to Hayden Winks, Thursday marked Garrett's first game without a pressure since Week 10 of 2018.