Donald's return fires up Rams, who bounce back with rout of Giants

INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- When Aaron Donald ran out onto the field for his first game since the end of the 2023 season, the So Fi Stadium crowd erupted. The Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle, who was playing in his first game back since coming out of retirement on Aug. 30, said he "did a little bit more jumping than I used to do" on his run out of the tunnel before the 28-6 win against the New York Giants. Donald called it "special" to be embraced the way he was in his return.

"If you didn't get chills when he was introduced, then you're not freaking alive," Rams coach Sean Mc Vay said. Donald's presence also affected his teammates. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford said he was "so juiced" after watching Donald run out of the tunnel, "I couldn't control myself." "The fans were happy to see him back, and we all were, too," Stafford said. Donald finished the game with three tackles, a tackle for a loss and zero pressures, according to Next Gen Stats. He played 32 (58.2%) of the Rams' defensive snaps. Asked whether Donald was on a snap count, Mc Vay said, "What do you think?"

"He elicits attention," Mc Vay said. "He brings everybody up around him. And I didn't think it was by coincidence that the energy that we played with [tonight]. I thought really the defensive coaches did a great job with their game plan, but ultimately just elevating situations he's in and people that he's around and that's what the greats do and that's what he does." Though Mc Vay pointed to Donald's energy as a difference-maker against the Giants, he also pointed to another big reason the Rams had better energy and execution in Week 2 than they did in their Week 1 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.