49ers ‘Relieved’ to Not Face Aaron Donald in Week 1 Clash in Australia

Any football team that has to take a 15-hour-long flight to Australia to play the Los Angeles Rams in Week 1 would be demoralized when they realize that Aaron Donald is returning to play.

The San Francisco 49ers already had a task at hand facing the grueling travel schedule, as well as adjusting to the vastly different time zone. That means that jet lag would be a major topic of discussion and a concern over the weekend.

Then, when factoring in that this Rams defense just got better with the trade arrivals of Trent McDuffie and Myles Garrett, it will already send offensive coordinators and players on that side of the ball into a frenzy.

Not only will the 49ers have to take into account that their division rivals are going to do whatever they can to win this game, but also throw the kitchen sink at them while doing so.

Then, factor in Donald’s return, and the already scary Rams defensive line becomes unstoppable. However, ESPN’s Lindsey Thiry reported this on NFL Live from Melbourne.

Kyle Shanahan telling us here in Australia that he definitely expected for Aaron Donald to play… As they wake up here in Australia, a lot of relief going around the team that they will not be facing both of those guys.

Lindsey Thiry shared on NFL Live

The sideline reporter added that the 49ers were prepared to face both Aaron Donald and Myles Garrett. They were aware that the two would cause havoc for the veteran 49ers’ offensive line. But now, there is relief that they will have to face one less demon.

Aaron Donald gets nearly two weeks before suiting up for Rams

Lindsey Thiry’s revelation on NFL Live comes after it was announced that Aaron Donald did not travel with the Los Angeles Rams on their plane to Melbourne, Australia.

He did warm up with his teammates, but it seems the franchise made the conscious decision to allow the three-time Defensive Player of the Year to avoid the long and tiring journey.

Avoiding those 15-hour flights, adjustments to time zones, and the colder temperatures in Australia can wreak havoc on a player’s body, working hard to get into shape after spending two years at home.

By the time the Rams get ready for their Week 2 home season debut, the 35-year-old will be ready. He will get nearly two more weeks of preparation time, since that game is on Monday, September 21.

Aaron Donald’s next chance to play will come in nearly two weeks, when the Rams return home to host the Giants on Monday Night Football. https://t.co/qiChD3jwx6

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 8, 2026

All that time to recover means that the New York Giants will be heading into Los Angeles with the biggest and most dangerous unknown heading into this season. The San Francisco 49ers can breathe a sigh of relief that it was not them when the experiment started.

Eli Manning advises QBs going up against Aaron Donald and Myles Garrett

Knowing that the New York Giants would face the two-headed monster of Aaron Donald and Myles Garrett first, it was ironic that franchise great Eli Manning had the best technical advice on how opposing QBs should tackle that problem.

You can’t just live in third-and-long. You’ve got to be very productive on first and second down. Run the ball well, play action, keep them guessing a little bit.

Eli Manning said on Get Up

Essentially, the two-time Super Bowl champion was basically saying that if a signal caller is not done moving the chains enough by second down, don’t bother trying an audacious attempt on third down.

.@EliManning's advice for QBs going up against Aaron Donald and Myles Garrett 😳 pic.twitter.com/nttp2f4vww

— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) September 8, 2026

The league’s best offensive lines could not stop Garrett from registering the single-season sack record. Now, if they also have to handle Donald, known as a single-man wrecking machine, it will be quite the problem.

Also Read:

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