The Los Angeles Rams placed defensive end Myles Garrett (knee) on injured reserve Thursday, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. That means the Rams will now be without their superstar for at least four games, with the earliest possible return coming in a Week 6 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals.
Considering Garrett has a strong case as the best player in the entire freaking league, this is a significant loss for a Rams team that already finds itself down 0-1 after a bad 27-7 season-opening loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne, Australia.
The Cardinals, meanwhile, find themselves 1-0 after pulling off the biggest upset of Week 1 over the Los Angeles Chargers.
Cardinals have chance to prove they belong in NFC West
Arizona is stuck in the best division in football, but these brutal injuries can potentially open the door to hang in the NFC West. We'll see them benefit from the injury bug as soon as Week 2 in a matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, where Sam Darnold (glute) has already been ruled out.
Not to say fans should be getting their playoff hopes up anytime soon, but it did increase that nonzero chance. If the Cardinals can get off to a 2-0 start, they'll at least put themselves in the conversation as the biggest surprise team of the season.
Are they realistically going to make the postseason in a division with the 49ers, Rams, and Seahawks? Not when the Rams can magically bring Aaron Donald out of retirement to fill Garrett's void. Still, the Cardinals have a chance to close that gap with the rest of the division. That momentum matters for a young team trying to establish an identity under new head coach Mike LaFleur.
In a way, it's fitting that Mike, the younger brother of Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur, is now our coach. It feels like the Cardinals are playing that younger-brother role in a division that, quite frankly, doesn't take them seriously.
With Darnold out Week 2 and Garrett potentially even not able to return in time for that Week 6 matchup, the Cardinals have a window to prove they belong. They've already changed the narrative, no longer being the worst team in the league after just one win. But the way they looked in Week 1, LaFleur should have bigger goals for this up-and-coming team this season.
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