Super Bowl champion Richard Sherman didn't hesitate to place blame after seeing his former team, the San Francisco 49ers, beat the Los Angeles Rams, a team considered the top contenders this season to win the Super Bowl. San Francisco defeated their division rival, 27-7, in a surprising start to both teams' seasons. The game was held in Melbourne, Australia, and the Rams debuted several major defensive additions, including former Kansas City Chiefs cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson, to improve their secondary.
After the game, someone on X shared an interesting stat via SumerSports: the Rams' defense played zone for 77.8% of their snaps against the 49ers, compared to just 13.9% zone. That prompted Sherman to react to the stat and seemingly suggest that Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula should be held responsible. "Why pay these corners to not use them as they have been used," the former Seahawks and 49ers star posted on X to draw further attention to the surprising defensive stat.
More news: Fred Warner Makes Bold Statement About Brock Purdy After 49ers Beat Rams The Chiefs traded for McDuffie this offseason and then signed him to a hefty four-year, $124 million extension, making him the highest-paid corner in NFL history. They also signed corner Jaylen Watson, McDuffie's Chiefs teammate, to a three-year, $51 million contract. Despite paying so much to improve their cornerback room, the Rams' coaching staff made an interesting defensive choice that seemed to cost them. 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy had a nice start to his season, throwing for 205 yards and three touchdowns to lead San Francisco to the win.
The former Chiefs corners had a slight impact in their debut. McDuffie recorded four solo tackles and two passes defended, while Watson had four total tackles, including two solo tackles. Safety Quentin Lake, who has been with the team since joining the NFL in 2022, had 10 total tackles, including seven solo tackles, and recorded the Rams' lone interception.
In addition to the corners debuting, Myles Garrett, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, also debuted in lackluster fashion, but said his lingering knee swelling injury meant he wasn't playing at 100% in Thursday's game. One must believe the coaching staff will review this disappointing loss and make significant changes, including Shula looking at his strategy. He's been with the Rams' staff since 2017 and was promoted to DC in 2024, but something was definitely off with their defensive game plan in Australia.
More news: Myles Garrett Makes Blunt Admission After Stunning Rams’ Loss to 49ers For more about the Los Angeles Rams and the NFL, visit Newsweek Sports.
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