Myles Garrett, after a 27-7 loss against the San Francisco 49ers, is not feeling like himself.
Garrett said he felt like “the worst version of myself that I put out there” following a lackluster performance. It’s a huge statement when looking at Garrett’s career in full.
Last season, he was NFL Defensive Player of the Year and set the single-season sack record while playing for the Cleveland Browns. This loss to the 49ers without a single tackle marks one of the rarest duds of his career.
While explaining why he was notably absent from the stat sheet, Garrett pointed to a knee injury and said he was only around 85 percent healthy. For a pass rusher like Garrett, that matters a lot. His game relies on two important factors: explosion and speed. That’s why even a slight limitation can change how he plays.
Garrett had acknowledged knee trouble during training camp, but the team still considered him healthy enough to play. 49ers left tackle Trent Williams also said Garrett was still “really hard to block.” It raises the question of whether the knee was the whole problem, or whether San Francisco simply found a way to keep him out of the game.
Garrett not recording a tackle is so rare that when it happened against the Saints in 2024, Cleveland.com published an entire article about it. That game became only the third time in his career that he finished without a sack, tackle, assist, quarterback hit, forced fumble, recovery, or interception.
When breaking down the Saints’ game plan, it becomes clear that the zero on the stat sheet didn’t mean Garrett suddenly became ineffective. The Saints built much of their game plan around keeping him away from the quarterback.
Derek Carr said New Orleans used tight ends, running backs, and even receivers to help block Garrett. Carr called Garrett one of the most dominant players he had faced in his career and even joked that he was thankful Garrett did not “decapitate” him on one play.
That tells us something important. Garrett can finish with zero tackles and still have an impact because offenses are sometimes changing everything they do just to avoid him.
From an objective angle, Garrett finishing with nothing on the stat sheet is incredibly rare.
Carr even talked about Garrett chasing plays 50 or 60 yards downfield and outrunning defensive backs. That is not normal for an edge rusher. When quarterbacks and offensive linemen are talking about a defender this way, the intimidation factor becomes part of the game plan.
Sometimes that means extra blockers are sent his way. Sometimes the quarterback gets rid of the ball faster. Sometimes the offense uses more screens and bootlegs just to keep Garrett from getting a clean rush.
The knee injury probably played a role, but the 2024 Saints game shows us that there can be more than one reason for a zero-tackle performance.
San Francisco may have simply done a good job of keeping Garrett from getting comfortable.
One bad game is not enough to say something is seriously wrong. The concern starts if this keeps happening.
If Garrett continues getting one-on-one opportunities and still cannot create pressure, then the knee becomes a much bigger issue. If offenses are constantly sending extra help his way, then the stat sheet may be hiding some of his impact.
Myles Garrett finishing a game with zero tackles looks terrible, especially for a player known as one of the best pass rushers in football. It’s happened before, and the 2024 Saints game showed that sometimes teams build their entire offense around making sure Garrett does not take over.
The knee injury could explain part of what happened against San Francisco, but the scheme may explain the rest. Garrett is still the type of player quarterbacks talk about before the game and offensive lines have to plan around all week.
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