On Monday night at the Coliseum, two of the most unstoppable players in the NFL will square off against each other. Aaron Donald is the reigning two-time Defensive Player of the Year and the league leader in pressures this season, while Lamar Jackson might be the frontrunner to win MVP.
Jackson is a dynamic and elusive quarterback unlike any we’ve seen since Michael Vick, and Donald could go down as the best defensive tackle to ever play the game. Surely, both players will have a big impact on the outcome of this Rams-Ravens matchup.
Blocking Donald is something the Ravens are focusing on heading into this game, but on the Rams’ side, they’re worried about containing Jackson. Donald says the defense has a game plan for trying to do that, but it’s easier said than done.
“You never want to play a quarterback that can run like that, but it’s going to be tough. But we’ve got a game plan to try to get him caged in, boxed in. We’ve just got to do our job and not miss tackles,” Donald said.
One would think playing Russell Wilson twice a year might help the Rams, but Donald doesn’t seem to be buying into that idea. He was asked if Jackson is similar to Wilson, replying by saying they make defenders miss in different ways.
“No, it’s different,” he said. “He’s a mobile guy, but the way they can move and the way they can make you miss is two different ways. So we’ve got our hands full, just got to do our job.”
Donald went into a bit more detail on Jackson, calling him “a dynamic player.”
“He can do a lot of different things. When he’s got the ball in his hands, he’s a tough guy to get down to the ground. We know what to expect with that just from seeing him on film. We’ve got a game plan, we just have to go out there and execute,” Donald said.
Containing Jackson and boxing him in is one of the more difficult tasks in the NFL right now, and no team has been able to do it in recent weeks. He’s led the Ravens to an average of 39 points per game since Week 7, leading the league in scoring this season.
We’ll see if the Rams are up to the task, and if they’re going to win this game, it starts and ends with keeping Jackson in check.
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