The NFL season kicks off in Australia this week with the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers playing in Melbourne. Keeping a regular-season game down under has been an incredible logistical challenge for both teams, with the 49ers and a handful of Rams players making the trip early to practice — most of Sean McVay’s team coming down with no time to prepare.
The two big men on the Rams defensive line are both showing up in this game. Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald are teaming to win and win the Super Bowl this year, and here are their rankings for the Australian game.
The Rams have opted to hold Myles Garrett out for much of training camp and the preseason as he deals with swelling in his left knee. That seems to be clearing up now that Garrett practiced on Sunday in preparation for the game. Sean McVay says he’s playing against the 49ers in Week 1.
There are lingering questions about how ready Garrett will be to play. The cloud surrounding his situation could be playfulness, or a genuine concern over his knee and a reluctance to aggravate the inflammation.
At first it looked like we wouldn’t get an update until Wednesday.
The return of Aaron Donald has been one of the most surprising stories this season, with the retired legend giving up his Hall of Fame eligibility to make another run with the Rams. Donald has passed his physical, is in good shape, and looks ready to go – but the team announced on Tuesday that Donald will not play in the Australia game and will not travel.
There are no injury issues with Donald, more so that he is not ready to enter a full NFL training program, which makes sense. It’s also a lot of pressure to ask a retired player to fly halfway around the world and take the field with a short lead, which no doubt played a role here.
Donald’s decision to be inactive could serve as a clue to what the team has planned with Garrett. While the Rams can play without their two star quarterbacks, Donald’s inactivity could mean Garrett will be active.
We look forward to learning more as the week progresses.
