SI:AM | The Rams’ Old Guys Still Got It

Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. I don’t ever want to watch Jameis Winston play quarterback again. The sooner he can join his former teammate Russell Wilson behind a TV desk, the better.

In today’s SI:AM:
🐏 Aaron Donald’s season debut
😱 Which NFL teams need to panic?
🔥 Brewers ready to bring the heat

Rams show their veteran savvy

I had to pause and reflect for a moment last night when I, a 34-year-old, saw someone on social media marveling at how well Davante Adams was playing despite nearing his 34th birthday. Did my entire body ache all day yesterday from having spent the weekend bent over assembling furniture? Sure. But I’m a former JV lacrosse player who sits at the computer all day. Adams is a six-time Pro Bowler. Surely his performance wasn’t exceptional enough that it needs to be held up as evidence that guys our age don’t have one foot in the grave, right?

Well, Adams finished with eight catches for 195 yards and two touchdowns in the Rams’ 28–6 win over the Giants on Monday Night Football. That is, unfortunately for me, almost unprecedented for a player our age. Adams, who turns 34 on Dec. 24, is the oldest player since Shannon Sharpe (34 years, 116 days old) in 2002 to have at least 190 receiving yards and two touchdowns in a game. Only two other players in NFL history at least as old as Adams have matched that statline: James Lofton in 1991 and Don Maynard in 1969.

The Rams needed a big game from Adams with star receiver Puka Nacua sidelined due to a hip injury. Third receiver Jordan Whittington and rookie CJ Daniels were also inactive due to injuries. As a result, Matthew Stafford, the Rams’ ancient 38-year-old quarterback, leaned heavily on Adams and tight end Terrance Ferguson. Adams was targeted 10 times, and Ferguson nine times. No other Rams player received more than two targets.

“He’s an elite player,” Stafford said of Adams. “He made all sorts of plays today. [He] made contested catches. He ran great routes and got open. He did it all for us, and he’s a guy that can do that. We understand that. We know it. And like I said, leaned on him big time tonight, and he came through for us.”

On the other side of the ball, 35-year-old Aaron Donald picked up right where he left off after two years in retirement. Donald, who skipped the team’s Week 1 trip to Australia, had three total tackles in his season debut, including one tackle for loss. The TFL came in the closing minutes of the first half when he blew up a play in the backfield on a third-and-2 from the Rams’ 3-yard line. He played 33 snaps, 57% of Los Angeles’s defensive plays.

It was the potential for games like last night that lured Donald out of retirement. Though blockbuster acquisition Myles Garrett watched the game from the comfort of a luxury suite (with Donald’s wife) as he recovers from knee surgery, the Rams still looked like the Super Bowl contenders many observers expected them to be before the season.

The best of Sports Illustrated

Aaron Donald during pregame introductions — Aaron Donald made an impact in his first game back from retirement. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Conor Orr: Week 3 NFL Power Rankings: Bengals Rise After Surprising 2–0 Start
Conor Orr: NFL Panic Meter: Ranking Every 0–2 Team Based on Desperation
Gilberto Manzano: Aaron Donald Provided a Spark As the Rams’ Stars Got Back on Track in Week 2
Pat Forde: Separating the Unbeaten College Football Contenders From the Pretenders
Pat Forde: 10 Burning Questions That Could Define the College Football Season
Pat Forde: What, Exactly, Are These Words in My College Fight Song?
Tom Verducci: The Brewers Are About to Test the Limits of Power Pitching
Will Laws and Tom Verducci: The Phillies Are in Flux With the Playoffs Right Around the Corner
Nick Selbe: The Angels Suddenly Have an Elite Starting Rotation

The top five…

Davante Adams makes a catch — Davante Adams made several impressive catches in his big game. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

… things I saw last night:
5. A nice diving catch by Tigers right fielder Ben Malgeri.
4. Cam Skattebo’s strength to shake off a tackler.
3. A perfect throw by Matthew Stafford and a tough catch by Davante Adams. Great job by Stafford putting the ball where only his receiver could get it and by Adams knowing where Stafford would throw it.
2. Adams’s toe-tap catch on the sideline while absorbing a hit.
1. The way a camera operator roasted Tigers announcer Jason Benetti after Benetti made an obscure historical reference.

📺 What we’re watching today …

WNBA

Lynx at Fever, 8:00 p.m., ET, ESPN

The likely rookie of the year, Olivia Miles, and the Lynx will look to clinch the No. 1 seed with a win against Caitlin Clark and the Fever, who are looking to rebound after losing to the Mystics.

Sparks at Aces, 9:00 p.m., ET, ESPN

MVP frontrunner A’ja Wilson, who has averaged 27.4 points over her last seven games, and the Aces will seek to solidify their hold on the No. 3 seed.

MLB

Rays at Yankees, 7:05 p.m., ET, TBS

A win by Tampa Bay will clinch the AL East title.

Padres at Dodgers, 10:10 p.m., ET, TBS

San Diego has won 13 of their last 14 games and can clinch its third straight playoff berth with a win and a Diamondbacks loss.

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