Myles Garrett gave Rams as much Week 1 oomph as Aaron Donald did sitting at home

The Los Angeles Rams certainly gave up plenty to add reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett to their roster. But it did motivate Aaron Donald's return. Ironically, Donald matched Garrett's production from Week 1, despite not even playing.

That's a huge problem.

Nobody expects Garrett to be shut down this season. And Garrett is fully aware of his shortcomings. He has been fighting off a minor lower-leg injury. He traveled 17 hours to play a game (or did he? that didn't look like Myles Garrett out there) and is already on his way back. He's also competing on a new defense with little playing time in training camp, due to his injury, to sync up with his teammates.

Even so, Garrett was a complete no-show. He failed to record a sack, hurry, pressure, or even a tackle. That's right, he was absolutely neutralized. Garrett was hardly the only Rams star to go MIA, but he was absolutely the most shocking letdown.

Can Aaron Donald make a difference after Rams' disastrous Week 1?

Many questioned how effective Donald might be upon his return. But the fact that he remained in Los Angeles seems to suggest that Donald won't suit up on game day until he feels fully charged to compete in the trenches.

If the entire Rams defense had held to that standard, multiple starters would have remained behind. Nose tackle Poona Ford was another no-show. Tyler Davis recorded seven tackles but committed a horribly timed roughing-the-passer penalty.

Garrett wasn't alone in his zero-impact performance. Fellow edge rusher Byron Young was held in check as well, recording just one tackle. His lackluster output did not doom the defense individually, but it stuck out sorely given the overall lack of oomph.

Like Davis, his most highlight-worthy play was an embarrassing mistake, when tight end George Kittle pancake-blocked him on a pass-rush attempt:

For his part, Donald may not be a superstar in his first game back, but he could hardly do worse than many of his teammates performed in this one. In theory his absence spotted Garrett a full game to put up lofty numbers by himself, but the latter's box score remains a row of zeroes entering Week 2 - the same as Donald's.

And Donald has yet to take a snap. Let that sink in.

As always, thanks for reading.

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