INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Aaron Donald shrugged off a block, stepped into a gap and wrapped up Najee Harris, stuffing the Giants running back on a key third down in the red zone Monday night.
The tackle for loss was vintage AD, and it was the biggest highlight of the 35-year-old star's successful return to the Los Angeles Rams after a 2 1/2-year retirement. Donald is officially back on the Rams' defensive line, and they celebrated with a 28-6 victory over New York.
Rams fans let Donald know how much they appreciated his decision all night — but particularly after he swallowed up Harris to force a field goal at a vulnerable moment for Los Angeles' defense.
“It felt good,” Donald said with a grin. “It would have felt better if I’d been able to slam him. ... I felt the love. I felt it when I made that little tackle for loss and heard the fans say, ‘Hey, Aaron!’ or whatever."
The three-time AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year made three tackles during his first NFL game action in 32 months, taking regular snaps on the defensive line all night at SoFi Stadium. He saw fewer double-teams than he normally faced during his first 10 years in the league, and he regretted the minor technique mistakes that prevented him from making more of those opportunities.
Donald was pleased overall with his return, even though he gave an exaggerated wince as he took the postgame podium.
“I’m just a little sore,” he said with a grin. “Man, just two padded practices, and then a game!”
“The game wasn't really as fast as I thought,” Donald added. “It was more me, calming myself down. Overrunning stuff, or my feet not being on the ground where they're supposed to be, not trusting my eyes, little stuff like that.”
Donald felt some similarities to 2017 and 2018, when he held out of training camp and the preseason in a contract dispute with the Rams. When the holdouts ended, his famed technique wasn't pinpoint-perfect.
“It was the same way when I came back," he said. "It took a couple of games to get going. But it's a little different: I ain't played in two years, so I've got to watch the film and see what I did good, what I did wrong.”
Donald remained a popular figure in Los Angeles during his retirement, and fans were eager to celebrate his return. He was introduced last in the Rams’ pregame starting lineup, setting off frenzied roars throughout the SoFi stands as he sprinted onto the field through a corridor of hyped teammates.
“I was so juiced,” NFL MVP Matthew Stafford said. “He came running out of the tunnel, and I couldn't control myself. I was freaking hyped up, man. I'm sure you all were in there, but man, the fans were happy to see him back, and we all were, too. Just the human being, the player, all of it combined, what he brings to our team, into our locker room, is unmatched — and really to the city, which I thought was amazing. I thought it was a great reception for him tonight.”
Many fans sported his No. 99 jersey or held up signs welcoming him back. Donald huddled with his wife and children on the field while the Rams warmed up, and he even stopped to autograph a sign held by a young fan declaring: “The Beast Is Back!”
Donald retired in March 2024 after a 10-year career spent entirely with the Rams in St. Louis and Los Angeles. Along with his three Player of the Year awards, he was an eight-time All-Pro and a 10-time Pro Bowl selection who had 111 sacks — an extraordinary number for an interior lineman — and won a Super Bowl ring.
Donald began to entertain the notion of a comeback after the arrival of Myles Garrett, a two-time AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year after setting the league's single-season sacks record with 23 last season for Cleveland.
Donald couldn't resist the chance to team up with one of his few contemporary peers in defensive line play — but that connection likely will have to wait for a month. After a zero-tackle debut in Australia in which he clearly wasn't at his best, Garrett had surgery on his knee last week, and he will miss at least the next four games while on the injured list.
The Rams' defense improved sharply from Week 1 with Donald in the lineup, although everybody realized the injury absence of Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart was the biggest reason. Los Angeles allowed just 182 yards — a paltry 3.3 per play — and kept New York out of the end zone.
Donald contributed, but he wants to do more. He lamented a few rushes that got “a little too high” — a key for an undersized lineman who built a stellar career on winning leverage battles with strength and technique.
“I had some 1-on-1s, (but) I've just got to win them a little faster," Donald said. “I popped up, got a little high, got too excited. Hopefully we keep getting blocked like that, and we'll get going. I'm not worried about it.”
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