The Los Angeles Rams already have significant concerns surrounding Myles Garrett following their Week 1 loss, but another expensive problem emerged during the team's disappointing season opener.

Los Angeles suffered a 27-7 loss to the San Francisco 49ers last Wednesday in Australia, with ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano pointing to the Rams' new-look secondary as another area of concern. Cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson struggled within the defensive game plan after Los Angeles invested heavily in the tandem.

The Rams acquired McDuffie and Watson during an aggressive offseason overhaul, with their combined contracts representing approximately $175 million in commitments. Their Week 1 performance raised questions about how Los Angeles plans to maximize that investment moving forward.

“The Rams' expensive new cornerback tandem looked miscast in the defensive game plan, and they couldn't get the passing game clicking,” Graziano wrote.

Those problems added another layer to a difficult opening week that already featured Garrett landing on injured reserve following arthroscopic knee surgery.

Garrett missed nearly a month of training camp because of the knee issue before attempting to play in the opener. Fowler noted that Los Angeles initially believed it could manage the injury through rest during training camp and the preseason, only for the problem to become more serious after Week 1.

“The Myles Garrett situation is more alarming,” Fowler wrote. “The Rams thought they could manage his knee injury with rest all camp and preseason, and it got exposed in Week 1.”

Rams' concerns extend beyond Myles Garrett after Week 1 loss

Los Angeles Rams cornerback Trent McDuffie (22) at training camp at Loyola Marymount University.
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images.

While Garrett's absence removes one of the NFL's premier pass rushers from the defense for at least the immediate future, Fowler believes Los Angeles still possesses enough talent to withstand the loss.

“The Rams have plenty of defensive talent to offset the Garrett loss,” Fowler wrote.

That makes the performance of McDuffie and Watson increasingly important. Los Angeles' investment in its secondary was designed to provide the defense with high-end coverage talent, but its first test against San Francisco exposed issues beyond an individual matchup or injury.

The problems were not limited to the defense. Los Angeles entered the season with one of the NFL's most highly regarded offenses but managed only seven points against San Francisco. Fowler noted that 49ers defensive coordinator Raheem Morris' familiarity with the Rams and quarterback Matthew Stafford could have played a role in the struggles.

Graziano cautioned against overreacting to one game but emphasized that Los Angeles has legitimate areas to address.

“The Rams are certainly not going to panic because of one game, even if it was an embarrassing loss to a division rival,” Graziano wrote. “But they are (and should be) taking the problems that were on display against the 49ers seriously.”

Los Angeles will now return home looking for a response against the New York Giants in Week 2. The Rams will host the Giants on Monday, Sept. 21, at 5:15 p.m. PT on ESPN and ABC while Garrett continues his recovery on injured reserve.

For the Rams, correcting the secondary's issues and finding the right roles for their $175 million cornerback tandem will be among the biggest priorities as they attempt to prevent a concerning Week 1 performance from becoming a larger problem.