Kansas City Chiefs’ Week 13 game against the Los Angeles Rams just got even tougher than it was already shaping up to be
The Los Angeles Rams’ construction of a super team looks complete after Aaron Donald has unretired to play in 2026. The Kansas City Chiefs’ Week 13 game just got tougher.
The Kansas City Chiefs Week 13 game against the Los Angeles Rams is sure to be an instant classic. That was the case before Sunday, Aug. 30, but it got an even bigger boost now than it already had thanks to the latest news about the Rams.
According to multiple reports, Los Angeles Rams legend Aaron Donald is coming out of retirement at age 35. He signed a one-year, $20 million deal with incentives that could bring it up to $30 million. The three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year says he’s been working to get his body to a point where he feels he can play at a high level and be durable. In reality, it feels like he just wanted to skip training camp and the preseason.
Donald joins a Rams team that already traded for former Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie and Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett this offseason. It truly feels like they are forming a bit of a dream team for the 2026 NFL season. Don’t forget Jaylen Watson, who joined their team via free agency.
A Thursday night clash with plenty of history
When these two teams face off, it will be their 14th meeting. It’s their first matchup in the regular season since 2022, and their second game of the Patrick Mahomes era. You’ll remember that first game as one of the NFL’s highest-scoring, with Kansas City losing 54-51. This time, the game is on Thursday, Dec. 3, at SoFi Stadium on Amazon Prime Video.
The matchup already had marquee appeal before Donald’s return. With McDuffie, Garrett, Watson, and now Donald all wearing Rams uniforms, this has the potential to be one of the most anticipated regular-season games on the 2026 schedule.
The Chiefs’ offensive line faces a massive test
Kansas City obviously has some questions along the offensive line heading into the 2026 NFL season. There are questions surrounding Josh Simmons’ back injury, and we don’t yet know who has won the starting right tackle job. Whether it will be Jaylon Moore or Khalil Benson, or perhaps one of the players the team just traded for this past week in Joshua Ezeudu and Diego Pounds, remains to be seen.
Regardless, this team has invested a lot of assets in the offensive line and in protecting quarterback Patrick Mahomes. They’re going to have to do that against two juggernauts of pass rush in Garrett and now Donald. The thought of those two collapsing the pocket from opposite sides is enough to keep any offensive line coach up at night.
Yes, Week 13 is a long time away, and there’s a lot that can happen between now and then. However, this feels like the type of addition that could put that Rams defense over the top. It remains to be seen how they all gel and come together. By Week 13, both Los Angeles’s defense and the Chiefs’ offense should realistically be at their best, and both could be pushing for the playoffs.
