LOS ANGELES, Sept. 23 -- Aaron Donald's return to the NFL produced a telling moment in the Los Angeles Rams' 28-6 victory over the New York Giants on Monday Night Football.

In the second quarter, Donald read a third-and-three run by Najee Harris, came off the edge, and tackled him for a loss. It was one play, but it became the defining statistic of a clean Rams win.

Donald, 35, was playing his first game since retiring after the 2023 season. The SoFi Stadium crowd welcomed him back, and he said the reception "kind of amped me up a little bit."

More significant was Donald's assessment that the game "wasn't as fast as I thought." For a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year and one of the sport's most dominant interior linemen, the ...