Giants’ weekend just got a lot worse after receiving the exact news they didn’t want to hear heading into crucial game vs. Rams
The Giants dodged a bullet by not having to play against Myles Garrett in Week 2, but that’s dissipated thanks to the latest news involving Aaron Donald’s likely return to the football field.
The New York Giants pulled off a shocking win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1, and they’re hungry for more victories heading into Week 2. That’s going to be a lot easier said than done, however, against a very talented Los Angeles Rams team.
The Rams lost their first game of the season to the San Francisco 49ers in embarrassing fashion, but they’re still arguably the best team on paper. They’ll get even stronger in Week 2, after Aaron Donald, the former Defensive Player of the Year and Super Bowl champion, told reporters on Friday that he plans on playing this weekend.
Donald missed the Rams’ Week 1 matchup against the 49ers because he was still ramping up and getting into football shape before he makes his return to the field. Even though Donald hasn’t played football in two years, he still looks to be in great shape, and his return adds another weapon to an already loaded defensive front.
The Rams’ defensive line is deep, even without Myles Garrett
Los Angeles recently placed Myles Garrett on injured reserve, meaning the star pass rusher will miss the next four games, at minimum. Garrett is a superstar and a complete game-changer, but the Rams are still in good shape without him because of players like Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske, Byron Young, Poona Ford and others.
Even without Garrett, the Rams’ frontwill remain a problem for opposing offenses regardless of who is or isn’t available on a given week. Sub out Garrett for Donald, and the production may not skip a beat. We don’t know what the final product is going to look like just yet, but the depth along that defensive line is undeniable.
What Donald’s return means for the Giants
The Giants will likely make Donald the focus of their protection plan when it comes to keeping quarterback Jaxson Dart clean. That makes sense. Donald commands double-teams, and New York will have to devote extra resources to slowing him down.
But here’s the thing about doubling Donald: it leaves plenty of one-on-one opportunities for the other pass rushers, defensive linemen, and outside linebackers the Rams will deploy when these two teams kick off on Sunday. The hunch is that the Giants are not thrilled to hear this news and were hoping Donald would wait one more week before making his official return.
That seems unlikely, however, and now Dart and the Giants will be facing a Rams front that is not only very talented but even deeper thanks to Aaron Donald’s return.
