The Los Angeles Rams turned in a disappointing performance in their highly anticipated regular-season opener, falling 27-7 to the San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne, Australia.
The Rams scored their only touchdown in the first half and were then shut out over the final 30 minutes of action, capping off a frustrating day for the offense.
Matthew Stafford, who threw for just 155 passing yards with an interception, said the Rams were never really in sync throughout the game, via Zach Edwards of TheRams.com:
“We didn’t play well enough. Obviously, never got into a rhythm. Only had probably two good drives, to be honest with you, the entire day. One of them ends up on a touchdown, next we get to the 1-yard line, don’t get in. So not enough good stuff on offense.”
Stafford is nevertheless confident that the Rams will be able to bounce back with a better effort in Week 2, when they host the New York Giants at SoFi Stadium:
Despite the inability to get into a rhythm, and an overall sense that “felt like we were fighting ourselves a little bit today,” Stafford feels confident moving forward, saying that there’s “a lot of football left and opportunities with the right kind of people and the right coaches and everybody to go out there and fix it and move forward.”
Even with Stafford and the Rams offense coming out flat against the 49ers, there is no reason to panic as the regular season has just gotten underway.
L.A. still has an extremely talented roster with Super Bowl aspirations, and it’s possible they simply had an off day. It’s also plausible that the long travel had a negative impact on the team, though head coach Sean McVay refused to use it as an excuse.
Either way, the Rams will need to quickly turn the page and make sure they don’t dwell on the loss as doing so could carry over into future games.
Myles Garrett undergoing right knee surgery
After struggling against the San Francisco 49ers and later admitting that his right knee still wasn’t completely healthy, Myles Garrett is taking action to address the issue.
The two-time Defensive Player of the Year is now set to undergo arthroscopic knee surgery and will be placed on injured reserve by the Rams.
With the move, Garrett will miss at least the next four weeks. That means he won’t play against the New York Giants, Denver Broncos, Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills.
