Myles Garrett is back, Aaron Donald is finally on the field, and the Rams are about to find out what happens when two of the league’s most feared pass rushers line up together.
Garrett said the matchup gives opposing offenses a brutal choice. With both players capable of winning their battles one-on-one, he believes quarterbacks and protection schemes are going to be stressed from the start.
“I think offenses really have to pick their poison. Who’s going to be freed up this play?
I think either of us are pretty good at winning one-on-one, so we’ll have some fun,” Garrett said. “Going into this season I never thought I’d have the chance, and as you all know he kept us in suspense for quite a while, so it was very exciting, and I’m looking forward to getting on the field and playing some real snaps with him.”
Donald sat out Week 1 because he was still ramping up after returning from his two-year retirement, while Garrett has been out since Week 1 following knee surgery. That made Sunday in Washington the first time the two will share the field.
Garrett said his rough showing in Week 1 against the 49ers made it clear something wasn’t right, even though he would have preferred to avoid surgery.
“I was frustrated after the game. I knew that wasn’t me, and I was being hampered by something,” Garrett said. “I didn’t want to miss any time, but I had to be realistic about where I was physically, and I had to make the best choice for me and the team.”
Now that he’s back, Garrett sees the upside immediately. He said the pairing could help turn the Rams into an “elite defense” for the rest of the season.
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Myles Garrett Puts Rams Defensive Momentum To The Test Sunday
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Garrett has been the kind of force offenses have to account for snap after snap, and the Rams will be watching closely to see whether that edge presence translates into the kind of disruption that changes a game plan. With Washington dealing with the challenge of protecting Coleman against one of the leagues most disruptive defenders, this is the sort of test that can either reinforce what Los Angeles has been building or expose how much work still remains. [Read more 🡒]