Rams rekindle their offense, defeat Giants in Aaron Donald’s comeback game

Aaron Donald made his triumphant return to NFL relevance on Monday night, and notably so did the Rams.

The team that looked lost in its Down Under debut returned to form against the New York Giants, even with star receiver Puka Nacua watching in street clothes because of hip pain.

Matthew Stafford was surgical with his passing, throwing four touchdown passes in a 28-6 victory. Receiver Davante Adams made several acrobatic catches befitting of the retina-burning yellow “Classic Sol” jerseys that turned the Rams into human highlighter pens.

“Played with a bunch of passion, energy, excited to be back home,” Stafford said, speaking about the team as a whole and especially the defense.

“We did enough offensively, but we still left some plays out there. I wasn’t as efficient as I would have liked in certain areas. Some plays that we can make that we didn’t make. We’ll keep working on that. But it was nice to get a win as we’re finding a way to get better.”

Adams had eight catches for 195 yards and two touchdowns.

“To be here with Matthew, just to be able to bond a little bit, be a part of his deal…,” Adams said. “It’s just a blessing.”

Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald runs onto the field during player introductions before a 28-6 win over the New York Giants at SoFi Stadium on Monday.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

🏈 Rams 28, Giants 6 — FINAL

Matthew Stafford passed for 327 yards and four touchdowns and Davante Adams had 195 receiving yards and two touchdowns as the Rams dominated the Giants in Aaron Donald’s comeback game.

Donald started the game and played a role in helping the Rams limit New York to 182 total yards. He made a key tackle on third down near the goal line in the second quarter that forced the Giants to settle for a field goal. He finished with three tackles, including one for a loss.

Kyren Williams rushed for 85 yards in 12 carries and also scored a receiving touchdown. Blake Corum rushed for 79 yards in 12 carries.

The Giants’ offense was hobbled early after starting quarterback Jaxson Dart sustained a knee injury on the opening possession of the game. He managed to limp off the field under his own power, but he did not return.

🏈 Rams 28, Giants 6 — 8:57 left in the fourth quarter

Terrance Ferguson caught a five-yard touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford in the back of the end zone to cap a nine-play, 64-yard drive and give the Rams a commanding lead.

A 16-yard run by Kyren Williams and a 13-yard reception by Blake Corum were the biggest gains on the drive.

On the previous possession, Braden Fiske played his part in forcing another Giants punt.

🏈 Rams 21, Giants 6 — 3:49 left in the third quarter

Dominic Zvada kicked a 52-yard field goal for the Giants after Rams linebacker Byron Young sacked Jameis Winston on third down.

A 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty on the Rams’ Tanner Ingle coupled with a 15-yard reception by Darnell Mooney helped move the Giants into field-goal range.

🏈 Rams 21, Giants 3 — 7:07 left in the third quarter

Davante Adams continued his monster performance, catching an over-the-shoulder 11-yard touchdown pass on a perfect throw from Matthew Stafford.

Adams is on a tear — he has eight catches for 195 yards and two touchdowns. He is 12 yards away from breaking his single-game career high for receiving yards.

Adams also had catches of 16 and 23 yards during the seven-play, 86-yard drive.

A 20-yard catch by tight end Terrance Ferguson and a 20-yard run by Kyren Williams also fueled the drive.

🏈 Rams 14, Giants 3 — 12:37 left in the third quarter

Despite a 19-yard catch by receiver Tutu Atwell, the Rams sputtered on the opening possession of the second half and punted after five plays.

Rams running back Ronnie Rivers has been ruled out after sustaining a calf injury. Quarterback Jaxson Dart, who sustained a left knee injury on the Giants’ opening drive, has been officially ruled out.

🏈 Rams 14, Giants 3 — Halftime

Dominic Zvada kicked a 24-yard field goal with 25 seconds left in the second quarter to put the Giants on the board after they recovered a Kyren Williams fumble.

A strong goal-line stand, which included Aaron Donald wrapping up Najee Harris for a loss on third down, limited the Giants to what was Zvada’s first career field goal.

Jevon Holland, minutes after he intercepted a pass from Matthew Stafford, punched the ball out of Williams’ arms and recovered it at the Rams’ 11. But the Rams’ defense limited the damage.

The Rams could have answered with their own field goal, but Harrison Mevis missed a 43-yard attempt as time expired.

Stafford has completed 11 of 15 passes for 184 yards, with two touchdowns and an interception. Davante Adams, who made a spectacular 27-yard catch to set up the Mevis attempt, has five catches for 145 yards and a touchdown. The Rams have averaged 10.1 yards per play on offense.

Jameis Winston, who took over at quarterback after Jaxson Dart sustained a knee injury on the Giants’ opening drive, has completed four of 12 passes for 58 yards with an interception.

🏈 Rams 14, Giants 0 — 5:27 left in the second quarter

Matthew Stafford tried to find Davante Adams deep once again, but this time it didn’t work.

Throwing into double coverage, Stafford was picked off by safety Jevon Holland, giving the Giants the ball back after a Trent McDuffie interception for the Rams.

🏈 Rams 14, Giants 0 — 6:21 left in the second quarter

Rams cornerback Trent McDuffie intercepted a pass in the end zone from Jameis Winston to thwart a potential Giants scoring chance.

Until the pick, the Giants drove 48 yards on nine plays, which included a successful conversion on fourth-and-one.

However, McDuffie’s perfect read on Winston’s intended pass to Malik Nabers put the ball back into Matthew Stafford’s hands at the Rams’ 21.

🏈 Rams 14, Giants 0 — 11:07 left in the second quarter

Kyren Williams caught a 10-yard touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford to help double the Rams’ lead in the second quarter.

It was Stafford’s 425th career touchdown pass, moving him into a tie for sixth all-time in NFL history.

The touchdown came three plays after Davante Adams caught a 64-yard pass, taking advantage of broken coverage in the Giants’ secondary to find a big opening and gain about 26 yards after the catch.

Adams has 118 yards on four receptions so far, helping the Rams overcome Puka Nacua’s absence. Stafford has completed 10 of 12 passes for 157 yards and two touchdowns.

🏈 Rams 7, Giants 0 — 11 seconds left in the first quarter

Davante Adams made a spectacular, stretching catch on a pass from Matthew Stafford over the middle before running into the end zone unscathed to complete a 31-yard score and give the Rams an early lead.

The pass capped an eight-play, 80-yard drive. It included a 19-yard reception by Adams and a 16-yard run by Blake Corum.

🏈 Giants 0, Rams 0 — 9:51 left in the first quarter

Jameis Winston took over at quarterback for the New York Giants after Jaxson Dart left the game with a left knee injury.

Dart limped to the sideline medical tent before eventually walking under his own power to the locker room. He is listed as questionable to return.

The Rams, desperately trying to find some rhythm on offense after losing to the 49ers in Australia in Week 1, went three-and-out on their first possession.

🏈 Giants 0, Rams 0 — 11:03 left in the first quarter

New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart sustained a knee injury during the game’s opening drive after being hit by Byron Young and Josaiah Stewart.

Dart grabbed his left knee before he limped off the field. The hit came on third down, leading to a Giants punt.

Sean McVay never stops coaching his coaches — even after they leave his staff.

Last season, during a bye week following the Rams’ rout of the Jacksonville Jaguars in London, McVay counseled Jaguars coach Liam Coen.

“How to reset,” Coen said. “How to have a little more grace for yourself and your players.”

As McVay prepares for his 10th season, his influence and growing coaching tree will once again populate the NFL.

Five former Rams assistants are head coaches: Green Bay’s Matt LaFleur, Cincinnati’s Zac Taylor, Minnesota’s Kevin O’Connell, Arizona’s Mike LaFleur and Coen.

The Rams did worse than arrive late.

They didn’t show up at all.

Amid a weeklong barrage of criticism, the Rams didn’t land in Melbourne for their season opener Thursday until 28 hours before kickoff while the San Francisco 49ers had been there all week.

Turns out, the 49ers were smart, and the Rams were sorry.

The 49ers were terrific, and the Rams were terrible.

This season, for a game on the night before Thanksgiving, the Ram will don their new “Fearsome White” uniforms, which honor the era of the team’s legendary Fearsome Foursome defensive line of the late 1960s and ‘70s.

After a season-opening performance more fragile than fearsome, the Rams’ defensive front has work to do if it aims to compare.

Rams star wide receiver Puka Nacua will not play against the Giants on Monday night because of a hip injury. Here are the rest of the Rams’ inactives:

Don’t be distracted.

In the aftermath of the Rams’ humiliating season-opening defeat in Australia, the team’s defense is dominating the news cycle: edge rusher Myles Garrett’s knee surgery, lineman Aaron Donald’s potential season debut.

But as coach Sean McVay prepares his team for Monday night’s game against the New York Giants, the Super Bowl-favorite Rams’ suddenly not-so-super offense also demands scrutiny.

Consider: Every starter is back from a unit that in 2025 led the NFL in offense and scoring, including quarterback Matthew Stafford, the reigning NFL most valuable player.

The Los Angeles freeway system has its downsides, especially during traffic-jammed weekdays, but the Rams are absolutely looking forward to commuting from their Woodland Hills facility to SoFi Stadium for Monday night’s game against the New York Giants.

After traveling about 16,000 air miles round trip for their season-opener in Australia — and suffering a humiliating loss to the San Francisco 49ers — the home opener requires only a 28-mile journey and offers a chance for a reboot.

Aaron Donald will play on Monday night against the New York Giants, but Rams star receiver Puka Nacua did not practice and is questionable for the game at SoFi Stadium, coach Sean McVay said Saturday.

“He’s got a little bit of soreness in that groin, being smart with him as a skill player,” McVay said. “Whether or not he plays is to be determined, and so we’ll see how he’s feeling.”

McVay confirmed that Donald will play for the first time since retiring after the 2023 season. The three-time NFL defensive player of the year said on Friday that he was planning to play against the Giants.

Myles Garrett is out for four games following knee surgery, but other Rams edge rushers said they were ready to step up against the New York Giants on Monday night at SoFi Stadium.

Second-year pro Josaiah Stewart could start in Garrett’s place opposite Byron Young with Desjuan Johnson and rookie Wesley Bailey rotating in.

VIDEO | 01:32

Aaron Donald set to return for Rams vs. Giants

• Share via Close extra sharing options

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • X
  • LinkedIn
  • Threads
  • Reddit
  • WhatsApp
  • Copy Link URL Copied!

Aaron Donald will play for the Rams against the New York Giants on Monday, but will Puka Nacua be on the field?

“I’m not going to go out there and be Myles Garrett,” said Stewart, who made six tackles and had one quarterback hit in the Rams’ season-opening defeat by the San Francisco 49ers, “but as a group we’ll fill our role and help do the job.”

The Rams’ pass rush will be aided by the addition of lineman Aaron Donald, the three-time NFL defensive player of the year who will make his season debut after coming out of two-year retirement.

But the outside linebackers plan to contribute.

“The room is full of talented guys, so everybody always smells blood,” said Johnson, a fourth-year pro. “We’re all sharks in the room, but we’re all helping each other. ... It’s time for everybody to put on them big-boy boots.”

Bailey was the only first-year undrafted free agent to make the roster. He did it with outstanding performances in preseason games.