LANDOVER, Md. – One of the highest compliments a Rams player can receive from head coach Sean McVay is about their competitive greatness – that they "play at their best when their best is required."
It's exactly what an already-shorthanded Los Angeles defense required from outside linebacker Myles Garrett, never mind the fact that it was his first game back from knee surgery.
And that's exactly how McVay spoke about Garrett after a 3-sack performance – plus one forced fumble, three QB hits and three tackles for loss – in a 20-13 Rams win over the Commanders on Sunday at Northwest Stadium.
"Man, it was a weight off my shoulders," Garrett said postgame, when asked about getting his first of three sacks. "Just getting back to who I am. I'm nowhere near where I want to be as far as like my performance and the things I know I can do, how I can move. But this is a confidence booster for sure. Just try to boost the confidence of the guys around me as well."
Garrett played 35 of 58 defensive snaps (60.3%) in his return from injury against the Commanders in Week 9, generating six pressures and three sacks on 27 pass rushes (22.2% pressure rate), per Next Gen Stats.
He is the first Rams player with 3-plus sacks and a forced fumble in a game since Aaron Donald in 2020, Week 5 at Washington. In terms of 3-plus sacks alone, he's the first Rams player to do that since Donald in 2021, Week 14 at Arizona.
His first sack – the strip-sack on Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels – set up a 30-yard Brandon McManus field goal that cut the Rams' deficit to four going into halftime. The other two came in the fourth quarter: One early for a loss a five yards that pushed Washington into a third-and-long, the other late for a loss of 12 that forced the Commanders to punt as the Rams clung to their 7-point lead.
"He was great, and the great part about it is, there's things that we can improve upon in terms of some of the penalties. But thought he was at his best when his best was required," McVay said. "We talk about competitive greatness all the time, and (he) did a great job being able to close the game out and make his presence felt. That was big time today."
The production was only part of the anticipation, given the excitement of finally seeing Garrett operating in tandem with another future Hall-of-Famer in Rams defensive end Aaron Donald. This from Next Gen Stats best captures the impact: With both Garrett and Aaron Donald on the field (23 plays), Los Angeles' defense allowed 5.0 yards per play and recorded four sacks. On all other plays (19), the defense allowed 8.1 yards per play and a touchdown with no sacks.
"Like two of his sacks is like 'our sacks,' you know?" a smiling Donald said postgame. "But it feels good. My main goal is just to find ways to win week in and week out. As long as we doing that, I'm happy."
Then there's this to consider for that tandem, and really Garrett's production alone on Sunday: While Garrett played just 35 of 58 defensive snaps (60.3%) in his return from injury against the Commanders, he still generated six pressures and three sacks on 27 pass rushes (22.2% pressure rate).
His presence was certainly felt on each of those 35 snaps.
"It felt great to be out there with my teammates again," Garrett said. "Felt rusty as hell in the first half, and I had a couple penalties, but I know I was going to get it back for us. So just try to focus on the plays I was in, and not worry about the last one. They supported me, and that's all that matters. We support each other, and we elevate until we can get a win."
