Former Aaron Donald teammate makes prediction for Rams' Week 1 game; Sean McVay shares update

As NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport shared, whether or not Los Angeles Rams superstar defensive lineman Aaron Donald will play in his club's regular-season opener versus the rival San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne, Australia, on Sept. 10 (U.S. time) was "to be determined" as of Friday afternoon. 

Per Rapoport, Donald is expected to travel with the Rams to Australia. During a recent conversation with Michael Duarte of the California Post, former Rams running back Todd Gurley, who "remains close with [head coach Sean McVay], the organization and former teammates," seems confident Donald has already decided on the Week 1 contest. 

Aaron Donald "will play" against the 49ers, but...

"I think he will play," Gurley said about Donald's status for the 49ers game. "But I think it may be somewhat limited. I think they’ll slowly ramp him back up. But I hope he plays, man, mostly for the international crowd. You have a lot of people over there." 

A previous report said that the Rams plan to play Donald roughly "30-40 snaps per game." Earlier in the week, McVay hinted that Donald may not make his in-game return until the Rams' home opener against the New York Giants, a Week 2 "Monday Night Football" clash, on Sept. 21. 

However, the fact that Donald is set to travel overseas would lead one to believe he isn't going for a quick vacation or to enjoy the scenery. That said, McVay made no promises about Donald's availability while speaking with reporters on Friday. 

Sean McVay gives Aaron Donald update for Week 1

According to Rams reporter Sarah Barshop of ESPN, McVay acknowledged on Friday that this is "a big week" for Donald "in terms of how he feels" ahead of the 49ers game. 

“If he feels good enough to go, great," McVay said about Donald. "If not, I've got a lot of confidence in the other guys that'll be ready to step up, if that's the case, that have really gotten all the reps anyways."

While McVay understandably was keeping his game plan somewhat of a secret at the start of the Labor Day holiday weekend, Gurley seems convinced Donald will be ready to play in front of the international crowd. 

"I think he has re-sparked that fire back in him," Gurley added about Donald, "and he’s going to go out there and dominate."

That's a scary prediction for quarterback Brock Purdy and other San Francisco offensive players who may have to go up against both Donald and star pass-rusher Myles Garrett in their first competitive game of the season.