Aaron Donald is expected to play in the Los Angeles Rams’ regular-season opener. At least, Kyle Shanahan expects the 10-time Pro Bowler to be part of the action when Donald’s Rams face his San Francisco 49ers.
“Oh, yeah, definitely,” Shanahan told reporters on September 7 (locally) when asked directly if he expects Donald to play. “Yeah.”
Shanahan cited the joy of Donald’s retirement in 2024, noting the “opposite” for the DT’s return.
“[I] remember when he retired, I didn’t see the alerts and stuff, but I heard people yelling down the hallway cheering. I was like, ‘What the hell’s going on?’ And then, I got it on my phone, and it was probably the most we’ve celebrated in the offseason ever. And then it was the exact opposite this year,” Shanahan said.
“I wasn’t crushed on the Sunday that he decided because I decided a month ago it was happening. So I prepared for that the right way, and it is what it is. He’s a hell of a player, and we’ll have our work cut out for him.”
Donald is as accomplished as they come. He is a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, an eight-time First Team All-Pro and was the Defensive Rookie of the year in 2014.
However, there is a significant caveat on this matchup in particular.
Aaron Donald Faces Cold Truth About 49ers
Donald–whom the Rams selected 13th overall that season–also has a losing record against the 49ers in his career so far.
He heads into this contest 5-13 against San Francisco all time.
Moreover, Donald has not beaten the 49ers in the regular season since Week 17 of the 2018 campaign. The Rams have lost nine straight contests with Donald against the NFC West foes in the regular season.
Donald and the Rams did defeat the 49ers in the playoffs following the 2021 regular season, though, and they will hope to snap their regular-season skid in Week 1 in Australia.
The Rams have won three of the last four showdowns with the 49ers.
However, those matchups all came after Donald retired following the 2022 season. Rams head coach Sean McVay has had his hands full with Shanahan–his former colleague in Washington–and the 49ers right along with Donald.
Aaron Donald Reaches Milestone With Rams
Donald got back to practicing for the Rams after missing time amid his ramp-up back to full playing condition.
He was not alone, either.
“Both Myles Garrett AND Aaron Donald are practicing together in the rain today for the first time,” The California Post’s Michael J. Duarte reported on X on September 1. “Garrett has been out the last few weeks with a lingering knee injury and working out on his own.”
In an ominous footnote, though, Garrett is 1-2 in his career against the 49ers, albeit as a member of the Cleveland Browns and not the Rams.
The Rams are trying to reverse a couple of noteworthy trends.
It is a long season, and a loss in Week 1 would not derail Donald and the Rams’ Super Bowl chase. Still, given the return of Donald and the additions of Garrett and Super Bowl champion cornerback Trent McDuffie, the Rams surely want to get off to a strong start at 1-0.
49ers’ Kyle Shanahan Does Not Mince Words About Rams’ Aaron Donald