Sean McVay hopes Rams never play again in Australia; Aaron Donald’s status undecided
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- Rams coach Sean McVay praises Australia for creating a “great atmosphere,” but he’s in no rush to ever play a game there again after their Week 1 loss to the 49ers in Melbourne.
- McVay and the Rams still haven’t made a final decision on whether Aaron Donald will play Monday night against the New York Giants.
- Myles Garrett underwent surgery on his left knee and is healing “Wolverine” fast, according to McVay.
The Rams will be without edge rusher Myles Garrett for at least the next four games.
Will they have Aaron Donald for Monday night’s game against the New York Giants?
“We’ll see how this week goes,” coach Sean McVay said Thursday before practice.
The Rams are coming off an embarrassing 27-7 defeat by the San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne, Australia.
One bad game doesn’t mean the season is over, but for a Rams team set on a Super Bowl-or-bust trajectory, they can’t afford another prime-time stumble.
Garrett, who failed to record a tackle or a quarterback hit in the defeat, had surgery on his left knee Monday. He will not play against the Giants, Denver Broncos, Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills.
McVay noted that Garrett was on crutches Wednesday but walking without them Thursday.
“He’s like Wolverine, healing fast,” McVay quipped, adding that Garrett would not be rushed back.
Donald, 35, ended a two-year retirement when he rejoined the Rams late last month. He did not travel to Australia.
Asked what benchmarks Donald would have to hit before returning, McVay said it was up to how Donald felt after getting more 11-on-11 reps during practice.
“There just hasn’t been a whole lot of opportunities for different reasons ... based on the schedule that we’ve had,” McVay said. “But we are hopeful ... that he’ll have some good work [Thursday], tomorrow and then hopefully he’s feeling good enough.
“And if he says he’s ready to go, then we’ll be excited to see him rock.”
McVay said the Rams have moved forward from the loss to the 49ers.
“It’s almost like you try and do the ‘Men in Black’ thing,” McVay said, referencing the movie franchise, “where you say all right, ‘hey I don’t remember what happened.’ That was so long ago. We’re not playing in Australia ever again, I hope. Not because it wasn’t a great atmosphere. That will get taken out of context.”
Sam Farmer makes his picks and predictions for Week 2 of the NFL season, with the Bills prevailing on Thursday night and the Rams winning in prime time.
