The team’s travel itinerary will be viewed as a disaster, with a late arrival likely being viewed as a reason for the 27-7 loss to the NFC West rival, San Francisco 49ers.
“I know there’s gonna be a lot of narratives that appropriately put the blame on me, and then we’ll move forward the right way," Rams coach Sean McVay told reporters after the game. "… I don’t believe (the travel plan) is why we didn’t play well enough. I really don’t.”
The travel decisions will continue to be a topic of discussion in the coming days, but there are several other factors that could be attributed to the loss.
Myles Garrett will benefit from Aaron Donald’s return
Garrett has proven throughout his career that he can be the primary focus on a defense and still produce. He spent some time matched up against 49ers standout lineman Trent Williams and did not have a good showing by the defenders' standards, finishing the game without a sack or tackle."We got to be better, myself especially,” Garrett said. “We didn't execute how we want to ... we have to do more. There's a lot more that this team can get done, and it starts with us as leaders.”
He had missed some time away from practice in recent weeks. He did not produce a tackle or sack in 39 snaps against the 49ers.
Garrett produced 23 sacks last season before Rams secondary had highs and lows The defense had few positive moments outside of safety Quentin Lake’s second-quarter interception. It served as the first turnover for the team this season, but it was also the only one for the game.
He jumped 49ers tight end George Kittle and caught 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy’s pass with 12:04 left in the second quarter.
It was the only memorable moment for the Rams as the secondary allowed three touchdowns after that.
