Aaron Donald makes impactful return as Rams roll past Giants 28-6

The defensive tackle played 32 snaps in his first NFL game since January 2024 and recorded three tackles and a quarterback pressure.

Aaron Donald played his first NFL game since January 2024 on Monday night, helping the Los Angeles Rams beat the New York Giants 28-6 for their first win of the season. Donald announced his return to the team on Aug. 30, shortly before final roster cuts were due.

Donald finished with three tackles, including one for a loss, and one quarterback pressure. He was on the field for 32 of the Giants' 55 offensive plays, with 14 of those snaps coming against the run and 18 as a pass rusher.

Next Gen Stats showed Donald was double-teamed on seven of his 32 snaps. Blaine Grisak of Sports Illustrated noted that the Giants doubled him on 39% of his pass-rush snaps, which freed up other Rams rushers to pressure the quarterback.

After the game, Donald said his issue was getting his feet under him and avoiding overrunning plays rather than the speed of the game. Before the game, he had joked that opponents would not need to double-team him anymore.