The Rams enter Monday night in a place nobody expected after Week 1: trying to steady themselves before the season starts to tilt. Los Angeles opened with a 20-point loss to the San Francisco 49ers, and the hit to Myles Garrett only added to the concern around a team that came into the year with Super Bowl buzz. Now they get the New York Giants in primetime, and a game that looked like a sure thing before the season suddenly feels a lot less comfortable.
There is at least one possible boost on the way. Aaron Donald could make his debut against the Giants after not making the trip to Australia in Week 1, and the signs point toward him being available on Monday night.
For fans trying to tune in, this is the Rams’ first of two Monday Night Football appearances this season. The game will air on ESPN and locally on ABC. It will also be carried on radio through SiriusXM and locally on ESPN LA 710.
Brad Allen and his crew will handle the officiating. Allen worked last week’s Bears-Panthers game and also served as the referee for the Rams’ Week 16 matchup with the Seahawks last season, when his crew overturned an incomplete pass and awarded a two-point conversion to Zach Charbonnet.
The stakes are obvious for both sides. The Rams are trying to avoid an 0-2 start, and in the 17-game era that began in 2021, only six of 40 teams that opened 0-2 have reached the playoffs. Los Angeles is one of those six, though, after starting 0-2 in 2024 before eventually falling to the Philadelphia Eagles in the divisional round.
That history gives the Rams some hope, but the road ahead is still brutal. If they lose to the Giants, they could be staring at a 1-4 record before they get to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 6.
The matchup also carries some familiar history for Sean McVay’s team. The Rams have not lost to the Giants during the McVay era, going 4-0 against them since 2017.
Their most recent win came in 2023, a 26-25 escape in which the Rams led 20-10 before New York appeared to score the tying touchdown. The Giants then went for two to try to grab the lead and failed, and Mason Crosby missed the game-winning field goal in the final seconds.
Los Angeles holds the all-time series edge as well, 30-17, with the Giants’ last victory coming in 2016. Both teams need this one. A Giants win would push them into serious NFC East contention, while a Rams win would help them keep the early-season damage from the Myles Garrett injury in check.
The Rams will also have had 11 days to recover and reset after the trip to Australia. Even so, Monday night has been a rough stage for them lately.
They have not won on Monday Night Football since 2021, when they beat the Arizona Cardinals 30-23. They lost to the Atlanta Falcons last season and have dropped five straight on Monday night.
McVay is 5-7 on Monday Night Football.
This game also puts Sean McVay opposite John Harbaugh, who is beginning a new stint with the Giants. It’s a meeting of two of the league’s best head coaches, and McVay is 2-2 against Harbaugh in his career.
In Other News...
Puka Nacuas Breakup Drama Just Took Another Public Turn
Puka Nacuas off-field situation has become a public legal matter in Los Angeles County, where Hallie Aiono filed a petition to determine parental relationship to establish the Rams receiver as the legal father of their unborn son. In the filing, Aiono also requested joint legal custody, with full physical custody for herself, along with financial support tied to the pregnancy, the birth and attorney fees.
Aiono and Nacua have both since posted on social media in ways that suggest they are moving on with new relationships, adding another visible layer to a dispute that is already playing out beyond the courtroom. For a Rams team that has relied on Nacua as one of its most important players, the football side of his year now sits alongside a personal issue that is likely to keep drawing attention until the legal process runs its course. [Read more 🡒]
Rams Defense Faces A Big Week 2 Availability Question
The Rams opened the week with a familiar sort of early-season injury report, and the focus quickly landed on the defensive side. Kam Curl, Omar Speights and Nate Landman were all limited in practice because of injuries, while Kam Kinchens sat out entirely with a hamstring issue. Davante Adams also received a veteran rest day, but the bigger concern for Los Angeles is how healthy its defense can be heading into a Week 2 matchup with the Giants.
Myles Garrett was also placed on injured reserve, adding another layer to a group already being monitored closely before Sunday. The Giants have their own list of affected players, including Paulson Adebo, who did not practice because of a knee injury, but the Rams are the team with the clearest question hanging over the week: how many of their defensive pieces will actually be ready when the game gets here? [Read more 🡒]
Former Rams Receiver Charged After Deeply Embarrassing Arrest
A former Rams receivers name resurfaced this week for the wrong reason, with Stedman Bailey arrested in Florida after an incident at a Pembroke Lakes Mall entertainment complex. Police were called to the Round1 Bowling & Arcade after a witness reported Bailey and a woman engaging in explicit sexual activity, turning what should have been a routine public outing into an ugly and deeply embarrassing scene.
Bailey was later charged with one misdemeanor count of exposure of sexual organs, and he admitted to officers that his pants were down. He reportedly blamed heavy alcohol consumption for his behavior while denying that physical penetration occurred, leaving another jarring off-field headline for a player whose NFL career already feels long removed from the field. [Read more 🡒]