Aaron Donald made his highly anticipated return to the field on Monday night against the New York Giants, helping the Los Angeles Rams win their first game of the year, 28-6. He didn’t stuff the stat sheet in his first game back, but he did have three tackles, including a key stop behind the line of scrimmage on third down near the goal line.
He played 32 of the 55 defensive snaps and picked up right where he left off in 2023 as a player who warranted double teams on a boatload of plays.
After the win, Donald said in his postgame interview with ESPN that his body felt “a little sore” but he’ll be going right back to work in preparation for the Rams’ next game against the Giants.
“A little sore right now. A little sore,” he said. “But get my body
back right for a short week and get back to work.”
In his postgame press conference, Donald said he felt like he had to get himself going and knock off some rust after being retired for the last two years.
“It was more like, ‘I’ve got to get myself going. You felt a little rust,” he said. “At times, rushing got a little high, but I’ll clean those things up, first game back.”
No one should doubt that Donald will get better as the season goes on. The more he plays and practices, the more comfortable he’s going to get, especially rushing alongside some players he didn’t play with before retiring. It was a strong start for the future Hall of Famer.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Aaron Donald admits he's 'a little sore' after first game back
