How 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan helped neutralize Myles Garrett

The Seattle Seahawks won the Super Bowl earlier this year, but it felt as if the Los Angeles Rams had won it with all the media attention they received this offseason. They completed a blockbuster deal to acquire reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett from the Cleveland Browns this offseason, which put the spotlight on Los Angeles.

The Rams took on the San Francisco 49ers in their season opener on Thursday night, and Garrett was expected to show out after breaking the NFL single-season sack record last year. However, it was hard to tell he was even on the field at times, and his lack of impact was reflected on the stat sheet where he failed to record a tackle, let alone a sack.

There were a plethora of contributing factors to Garrett’s quiet night — including the knee injury he’s been dealing with since the offseason — but 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan may have been the biggest one. As one of the few head coaches in the league who calls his own plays, it was clear from the first play of the game that he had no interest in letting Garrett get near quarterback Brock Purdy.

Shanahan had his signal-caller consistently getting the ball out of his hands quick on throws to the flat, screen passes or just quick, five-yard routes. This was reflected in Purdy’s average time to throw, 2.69 seconds, which was the quickest of all five of the quarterbacks who have taken snaps so far this season.

The quick passing game made it impossible for the Rams to generate a pass rush, as they left the game without a single sack. It was surprising to see such a talented defensive line have such a small impact on the game, but a lot of it had to do with Shanahan’s genius game plan.

Another strategy he deployed was to use tight ends or running backs to chip block Garrett all night long. Oftentimes, tight ends George Kittle or Jake Tonges would be lined up on Garrett’s side and help out the tackles before they released to go run their routes. Both the chip blocks and quick passing game were key to keeping Garrett in check and ultimately winning the game 27-7 in convincing fashion.

Shanahan has been going against Rams head coach Sean McVay for nearly a decade now, and the two coaches have seen about everything that they can throw at each other. Shanahan has slightly edged out McVay with a 12-8 record since they began battling each other as head coaches, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see the latter come back with an answer when the two teams face off again in Week 14.