The Los Angeles Rams almost witnessed the incredible on Sunday, as legendary defender Aaron Donald was inches away from potentially scoring his first career touchdown. With a little under 2 minutes to go in the third quarter, the Rams were leading the Los Angeles Chargers by a score of 24-9.
Outside linebacker Wesley Bailey strip-sacked Justin Herbert and the loose football bounced toward the sidelines. That's when Donald, the closest defender to the ball, attempted to run full speed, bend down, and scoop it up as he was within 20 yards of the end zone.
Donald, who is 35 years old and returning from two seasons away from football, was unable to do so, hitting the ground in an attempt that delighted his teammates. Captured on video, his fellow
defenders joked with an out-of-breath Donald once the ball bounced out, bringing an end to the play, while Myles Garrett was in hysterics working out on the sideline bike.
"If anybody knew how hard it is at our age to go down there and get a ball."
— NFL (@NFL) November 2, 2026
Matthew Stafford felt for Aaron Donald after he missed the mark on the fumble recovery 😭@insidethenfl Week 8 Mic'd Up on X pic.twitter.com/vOfSbC7kj4
Quarterback Matthew Stafford and tight end Tyler Higbee felt Donald's pain, attesting to how hard it is for players to bend down full speed at their age.
"You know how hard it is to bend at the knees," said Higbee.
"No doubt," answered Stafford. "If anybody knew how hard it is at our age to go down there and get a ball."
It looks like Donald will have to keep waiting for his first touchdown.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Watch: Matthew Stafford had a funny reaction to Aaron Donald's fumble blunder
