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Sean McVay under fire for playing hurting Myles Garrett
Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Mike Florio rips Rams' Sean McVay for playing hurting Myles Garrett vs. 49ers

By Zac Wassink  |  Last updated Sep 11, 2026 10:24 AM ET
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Following the Los Angeles Rams' 27-7 loss to the rival San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne, Australia, on Thursday night (ET U.S. time), Rams pass-rusher Myles Garrett admitted that he "was the worst version of myself that I’ve put out there" during the game. 

Garrett failed to record a single tackle, sack or pressure against the 49ers, but he also admitted he wasn't fully healthy after he missed most of training camp and the preseason with knee swelling. 

"When I was out there, I was a little more focused on myself and trying to stay healthy than what they were doing, and it showed. I wasn’t what I needed to be for my team," Garrett specifically said. 

Via a video shared on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Friday morning, NFL insider Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk and NBC Sports blasted head coach Sean McVay for playing Garrett in Australia. Florio also touched upon the matter for a Pro Football Talk article. 

Should Rams have protected Myles Garrett from himself?

"Typically, players don’t play if concerns about their health become a distraction to the task at hand," Florio wrote. "It’s fair to wonder why Garrett played — and why the Rams didn’t intervene and stop him from playing. It’s also fair to wonder whether the Rams knew about Garrett’s circumstances. If they had, the Rams may not have used him for six special-teams snaps, hopeful he’d show off his ability to block a kick, or two."

Florio acknowledged that Garrett may have pushed to play after receiving his desired trade from the Cleveland Browns to a Super Bowl contender this past June. Garrett also may have wanted to be in the lineup since Aaron Donald wasn't yet ready to make his in-game return. 

That said, Garrett was essentially anonymous against the 49ers after the Rams traded edge-rusher Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round draft pick, a 2028 second-round pick and a 2029 third-round choice to the Browns for the two-time Defensive Player of the Year. As a whole, the Rams looked sluggish and like a team that maybe should've traveled to Australia a handful of days or so before kickoff. 

Will Rams ultimately regret handling of Myles Garrett?

"A player should be at his healthiest in Week 1," Florio added. "For Garrett, he’ll need to get to 100 percent with a fresh train on the tracks, each and every week. With the bye not coming until Week 11, Garrett has nine more games to go until he gets extra time to recover. ...Will Garrett, now 30, have a chance to get his body to where he wants to be? If not, how loud will the questions become about whether the Rams may have been better off if they’d kept Jared Verse?"

The Defensive Rookie of the Year for the 2024 campaign, Verse tallied 12 total sacks over the first 34 regular-season games of his career. As for Garrett, he now will look to get as right as possible for the Rams' "Monday Night Football" home game against the New York Giants on Sept. 21. 

Zac Wassink
X Muck Rack

Zac Wassink is a longtime sports news writer and PFWA member who began his career in 2006 and has had his work featured on Yardbarker, MSN, Yahoo Sports and Bleacher Report. He is also a football and futbol aficionado who is probably yelling about Tottenham Hotspur at the moment and who chanted for Matt Harvey to start the ninth inning of Game 5 of the 2015 World Series at Citi Field. You can find him on X at @ZacWassink

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