The name on the mind of many folks around One Bills Drive this week has been Aaron Donald.
The elite defensive tackle for the Rams will spearhead their defensive efforts against the Bills in Week 3. He’s a generational talent, without a doubt.
But on the flip side, Donald is among many folks in the NFL that have been talking about one guy in particular recently: Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen. A dual-threat player that enters Week 2 leading the NFL in passing yards, Donald knows his team has to give an extra effort to stop Allen this week, and he said the Rams will, quite literally, have to bring their hard hats to Orchard Park.
“He’s a big quarterback that’s mobile, that plays hard. He will run through you, run past you, and he will make you miss. He can do it all. So, when you get him you better come with your big boy pads and find a way to get him to the ground,” Donald said this week in LA. “You have to play physical, you’ve got to play hard and you’ve got to be the physical guy when it comes to getting him down.”
“(Allen) is definitely a good quarterback and does a lot of good things,” Donald added.
In terms of facing Allen, it appears to be a team approach for the Rams. Los Angeles head coach Sean McVay, one of the league’s top-offensive minds, also acknowledged the Bills QB this week, and made note of his improvements this year. In doing so, McVay also gave credit the Buffalo offensive coordinator Brian Daboll.
“I thin coach Daboll has done an excellent job and you can really see there’s a connection between those two,” McVay said. “Coach Daboll is putting their good players in the right positions and then those players ultimately are the ones that have to execute and that’s what they’re doing. Then when things go off-schedule, his ability to be able to make plays out of rhythm where he’s breaking contain, eyes down the field, whether it’s as a runner or as a passer, is really impressive.
“You see some of the throws that he’s able to make and the accuracy that he’s throwing the football consistently with throughout the course of these first two games. You see why he’s putting up the numbers that he is and why their offense is productive as it’s been. So, our guys have their work cut out for them, but we’re excited about the challenge.”
So far this season, the Rams have had mid-tier defense in terms of passing yards allowed, the 17th best in the NFL. However, the Rams are also tied for a league-best. That one is in regard to touchdowns allowed, and they’ve only allowed one through two games this season. The Rams defense will provide Allen and the Bills offense their best test-to-date on Sunday.
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