Understandably, the San Francisco 49ers should've been filled with fear when the Los Angeles Rams executed a blockbuster trade last offseason with the Cleveland Browns for the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, defensive end Myles Garrett.
Had you told the Niners back then that Garrett would be held off the stat sheet when the two NFC West rivals would meet in Week 1 down in Melbourne, Australia, no one would have believed it.
But that's what happened.
In what has to be considered the greatest of anomalies, the seven-time Pro Bowler was held in check and failed to record a single tackle, a single sack or even a single quarterback hit in the red and gold's 27-7 victory over Los Angeles.
According to Sharp Football, Week 1's showdown was the first time since 2018 in which Garrett didn't log a quarterback pressure.
Putting it bluntly, the 30-year-old Garrett was a non-factor.
49ers can rejoice at Myles Garrett's lack of impact in Week 1
Sure, Garrett appeared not to be at 100 percent for the game and was regularly subbing out from defensive snaps. But, as left tackle Trent Williams pointed out postgame, the potent edge rusher remains a major force regardless of his health.
For now, at least, the Garrett acquisition doesn't appear to be the Super Bowl-generating move for which L.A. hoped.
Yet San Francisco has to take a lot of credit for shutting Garrett down, too. In fact, the 49ers kept quarterback Brock Purdy upright all day, preventing him from being sacked and only hit twice.
And it's not like Los Angeles boasts a weak defensive line. If anything, it's presumed to be among the NFL's best entering 2026.
Fans wouldn't have known that, though, by watching Week 1. Garrett frequently found himself stood up by Williams, chipped by wide receivers and tight ends, and constantly taken out of the play, thereby allowing Purdy and Co. to execute the balance of the offense.
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Sure, Garrett will gain his footing at some point with Los Angeles, especially with future Hall of Fame defensive tackle Aaron Donald unretiring and back in the fold.
However, the Niners managed to pull off a crucial victory over an NFC West rival many are (likely still) predicting to win the Super Bowl.
Keeping Garrett from making any sort of an impact whatsoever played a massive role in the game's ultimate outcome.
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