Matthew Stafford calls Myles Garrett's injury 'a little bump' for 2026 - Rams Wire
Four days into the season, the Los Angeles Rams lost Myles Garrett for a minimum of four games with a knee injury. But despite the major blow to the defense, quarterback Matthew Stafford isn't treating Garrett's injury as a season-defining blow.
"This is just a blip in the radar, a little bump in the road that I know he'll work diligently to come back from as soon as he possibly can," Stafford said of Myles Garrett on the "Let's Go!" podcast with Jim Gray.
Garrett underwent arthroscopic knee surgery and landed on injured reserve, which carries a minimum four-game absence, putting his earliest return at Week 6 against the Arizona Cardinals. In between, the Rams will face the New York Giants at home, make road trips to the Denver Broncos and the Philadelphia Eagles, and host the Buffalo Bills.
Garrett's career with the Rams couldn't have gotten off to a worse start. After weeks of building following the blockbuster trade from the Cleveland Browns in the offseason, Garrett missed time in camp with knee swelling. Then, in the season-opening loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne, he logged zero tackles on 39 snaps and said afterward he hadn't been himself.
Stafford knows what it's like to have the pressure and expectations of making an impact after being a highly-touted acquisition. He experienced it himself when the Rams traded for him in 2021. Stafford then delivered a Super Bowl in his first season in L.A.
"I know the responsibility and the feeling you have when you are that guy that gets traded and is supposed to come over and make a difference. And so, for that part of it, it's tough," he said. "People forget about that a lot of times, they sit there and go, 'Oh, Myles isn't gonna play.' It's like, 'Well, Myles is a human being, too.'"
As for the four games without him, Stafford pointed at the locker room rather than the injury report.
"He's as good a defensive player as there is in the league when he's healthy and ready to roll. So it'll be a collective effort to kind of pick up where he is not there," he said. "We can help on the offensive side of the ball, scoring points and doing the things that we're supposed to do too. Football's a great team game."
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