10/09/2026 06:46:00
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10/09 18:44 CDT Aaron Donald thinks he'll play for Rams vs Bills after a short
injury setback in his comeback
Aaron Donald thinks he'll play for Rams vs Bills after a short injury setback
in his comeback
By GREG BEACHAM
AP Sports Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) --- Aaron Donald's back is feeling much better after a week of
rest and treatment, and he plans to play for the Rams against the Buffalo Bills
on Monday night after he missed Los Angeles' previous game.
His dream pairing with Myles Garrett still does not appear to be in the Rams'
immediate future, however.
Donald's first injury setback during his comeback from a 2 1/2-year retirement
does not appear to be serious, the 10-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle said
Friday after he went through a full practice at the Rams' training complex with
no setbacks.
"I feel a lot better than what I was, so that's good," Donald said. "Just
followed the regimen (from the Rams' training staff) to get me back right where
I need to be. Whatever they had me doing, I did, and I feel great right now."
The 35-year-old star's absence from the Rams' comeback victory at Philadelphia
underlined the difficulty of Donald's attempt to pull off this extraordinary
comeback after such a lengthy layoff from football. Donald skipped all of last
week's practices in an attempt to get his back ready to face the Eagles, but
the Rams ultimately decided not to push things this early in the season.
A week later, Donald thinks he's ready to go again when Josh Allen and the
Bills visit SoFi Stadium.
"I do feel good," Donald said. "I don't feel like my wind is off. I don't feel
like I'm out there exhausted. I think the way we're able to rotate helped me a
lot, but I do feel good. Just got to keep going, try to be more productive, do
what I need to do."
Donald had four tackles and a quarterback hit while playing just over 50% of
the snaps in the first two games of his comeback. Los Angeles has a fairly deep
rotation on its interior defensive line, allowing every member to play at close
to full speed.
But while Donald is feeling better, the Rams (2-2) are headed into the middle
of October without yet getting to see Donald and Garrett on their defensive
line together.
Garrett played poorly in his season-opening Rams debut in Australia before
undergoing knee surgery. Coach Sean McVay said Thursday that the team isn't
sure whether its high-priced trade acquisition will be ready to return to
practice when his minimum four weeks on injured reserve are up next week.
"I know that the rehab is progressing well," McVay said of Garrett while
lamenting that he didn't have more concrete information on the superstar's
current condition. "He's looked good in the meetings."
Donald thinks the Rams still have a defense good enough to contend with Allen
even without Garrett. Then again, Donald was comfortably on his couch in
retirement when Allen put up a jaw-dropping performance in the Bills' most
recent trip to SoFi.
Allen became the first player in NFL history to record three passing TDs and
three rushing TDs in the same game while he shredded the Rams' defense in
December 2024, but Matthew Stafford and the Rams' offense outlasted him for a
44-42 victory in a game featuring 902 combined yards of offense.
Donald, a Pittsburgh native from a family of Steelers fans, gave high praise to
Allen through comparison.
"He's a different type of player," Donald said. "I call him like a futuristic
Big Ben (Roethlisberger). More athletic, hard to tackle, a lot faster, able to
move a lot different. He can hurt you in a lot of different ways. He's not easy
to take down, and he's a playmaker."
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