The Rams beat the Giants 28-6 Monday night at SoFi Stadium, behind Matthew Stafford’s four touchdown passes and Davante Adams’ 195 receiving yards, in Aaron Donald’s first NFL game in 32 months. The Giants lost quarterback Jaxson Dart to a knee injury on the opening drive.
How it went
The Rams scored first on their second possession, when Adams caught a 31-yard touchdown pass from Stafford with 11 seconds left in the first quarter. Kyren Williams added a 10-yard touchdown catch from Stafford with 11:07 left in the second quarter, and the Giants answered with a 24-yard field goal from Dominic Zvada with 25 seconds left in the half. Adams caught his second touchdown, an 11-yard pass from Stafford, with 6:21 left in the third quarter, and Zvada added a 52-yard field goal with 3:49 left in the third. Terrance Ferguson caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from Stafford with 8:57 left in the fourth quarter to make it 28-6.
The Rams turned the ball over twice and the Giants once. Trent McDuffie intercepted Jameis Winston in the end zone in the second quarter. Jevon Holland intercepted Stafford, and Holland also forced and recovered a fumble by Kyren Williams at the Los Angeles 11-yard line before halftime; the Giants came away with only a field goal on that drive after Donald stopped Najee Harris on third down.
The Rams finished with 481 total yards to the Giants’ 182, and the Giants converted just 3 of 14 third downs. Harrison Mevis made all four of his extra-point attempts and missed his one field-goal try.
Donald’s return
Donald retired on March 15, 2024, after 10 seasons with the Rams, then announced on Aug. 30, 2026, via Instagram that he was coming back. He skipped the Rams’ Week 1 trip to Melbourne and made his return Monday night, finishing with three tackles. He also made the third-down stop on Harris before halftime.
“It felt really good to be back, coming out, being embraced how I was,” Donald said, according to The Associated Press.
Stafford and Adams
Stafford went 22 of 31 for 327 yards with four touchdowns and one interception. On Adams’ second touchdown catch in the third quarter, Stafford moved into sixth place in NFL history with his 426th career touchdown pass, passing Philip Rivers.
Adams finished with eight catches for 195 yards and two touchdowns, a long of 64 yards. According to the AP, both his catch total and his yardage were his best in a Rams uniform, and the yardage was the fourth-highest total of his 13-year career. Kyren Williams ran 12 times for 85 yards, and Blake Corum added 12 carries for 79 yards.
The Rams played without injured All-Pros Puka Nacua and Myles Garrett, according to the AP. The win moved Los Angeles to 1-1; the Rams had opened the season with a 27-7 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne, Australia.
“(Adams) was special, and it showed all night,” Rams coach Sean McVay said, according to The Associated Press.
“If you’re trying to be great, be a Super Bowl-caliber team, you’ve got to hold yourself to a high standard,” Adams said, according to The Associated Press.
Dart and the Giants’ injuries — what is known and not
Dart left the game with a left knee injury on the Giants’ opening drive, hurt on the seventh snap after a hit from Byron Young and Josaiah Stewart, according to the AP. He had completed 3 of 5 passes for 20 yards before leaving and watched the second half in a track suit, the AP reported. X-rays taken at the stadium were negative, and an MRI is scheduled for Tuesday, according to CBS Sports, ESPN and Giants.com.
Asked whether Dart had sprained a knee ligament, Giants coach John Harbaugh said, “That’s in the neighborhood of it.” He added, “We’ll know more tomorrow,” and said, “The fact that it’s not that outcome that you’re talking about, the devastating outcome, is really good news.” ESPN’s own injury listing had Dart questionable with a knee injury and listed an MCL sprain; that is ESPN’s listing, not a diagnosis confirmed by the team, and the MRI result is not yet known.
Jameis Winston relieved Dart and went 11 of 27 for 111 yards with one interception. Malik Nabers dislocated his shoulder, according to the AP, put it back in place and returned to the game. Brian Burns hurt his left ankle with 6:04 left in the game and needed help leaving the field, according to Giants.com; Harbaugh later said it was a low ankle sprain, ESPN reported.
Harbaugh said that “as a team, we just didn’t do what we needed to do to even have a chance to win the game,” according to The Associated Press.
Next
The Giants, now 1-1, host the Tennessee Titans (0-2) Sunday, Sept. 27, at 1 p.m. ET at MetLife Stadium. The Rams, also 1-1, play at Denver on Sunday, Sept. 27, at 8:20 p.m. ET.