Tag: Aaron Donald

Aaron Donald is in a world of his own on this pass-rush chart

This chart shows how massive the gap is between Aaron Donald and the next-best DT when it comes to rushing the passer this season.

Aaron Donald is really, really good, but you already knew that. What you may not realize, though, is just how much better he’s been than every other defensive tackle as a pass rusher this season.

And that’s all while being double-teamed as much as any interior defender in the NFL.

Seth Walder of ESPN shared a chart showing the pass-rush win rate and double-team rate of defensive tackles across the league, and Donald is in a world of his own in the upper-right corner.

He has by far the best pass-rush win rate and is being doubled about 70% of the time, making his performance this season all the more impressive. Walder notes that the gap between Donald and the next-best player in pass-rush win rate is larger than it was last season when he won Defensive Player of the Year.

After registering a season-high 14 pressures on Monday night against the Cardinals, Donald now has 68 this season, according to Pro Football Focus. That puts him second in the NFL among all players, only trailing Maxx Crosby’s 78 pressures.

Donald also has 10 sacks, which ranks 10th in the league and first among all defensive tackles. His 12 tackles for a loss are tied for ninth and his 61 tackles are just eight off his career-best.

He may not wind up winning Defensive Player of the Year again this season, but he’s certainly putting together a campaign deserving of consideration.

[listicle id=660266]

Rams injury report: Aaron Donald (knee) and Brian Allen (knee) listed as DNP

Aaron Donald and Brian Allen were listed as non-participants Wednesday, while Greg Gaines was limited

The Los Angeles Rams are trying to contain the COVID-19 outbreak that has ravaged their roster, causing 16 players to be added to the reserve list since Saturday. As a result, they closed their training facility for Tuesday and Wednesday, working remotely those two days.

They were obviously unable to practice because of that, so the first injury report of the week was merely an estimation of the participation for each player listed. Aaron Donald popped up on the report with a knee injury, causing him to be listed as a non-participant. Brian Allen was also DNP with his knee injury, while Greg Gaines would have been limited with a hand injury.

For the Seahawks, there were 16 players listed, ranging from DNP to full participants. DK Metcalf, Quandre Diggs and Carlos Dunlap were the most notable non-participants, and Alex Collins was limited with an abdomen injury.

The Rams host the Seahawks on Sunday afternoon and as concerning as it may be that Donald and Allen were both estimated to be non-participants to start the week, their ever-growing COVID-19 list is even more troubling.

On the list still are Jalen Ramsey, Darrell Henderson Jr., Jordan Fuller, Rob Havenstein and Dont’e Deayon, all of whom have been starters this season. Hopefully at least some of the players currently on COVID-19 reserve can return in time for Sunday’s game because as of now, about a quarter of the team is on it.

[listicle id=660179]

Aaron Donald wins NFC Defensive Player of the Week for 3-sack game

Aaron Donald has won NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors, just like Sean McVay said he should.

Sean McVay said it after the game: “If he doesn’t win NFC Defensive Player of the Week, something’s wrong.”

Of course, he was talking about Aaron Donald following the Rams’ win over the Cardinals on Monday night, a game in which the future Hall of Famer recorded three sacks, a tipped pass, 14 pressures and five tackles.

And deservingly, he was awarded with Defensive Player of the Week honors in the NFC on Wednesday.

This was Donald’s sixth career game with at least three sacks, breaking the Rams record that was held by Kevin Greene and Robert Quinn. His 14 pressures were the most by any player in the NFL this season, too, so it was quite the performance from the dominant defensive tackle.

It’s also the eighth time Donald has been awarded NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors, and the first time he’s won it since Week 5 of last season.

[listicle id=659753]

Rams PFF grades: Best and worst performers in Week 14 win vs. Cardinals

Matthew Stafford and Odell Beckham Jr. both earned their highest PFF grades as members of the Rams in LA’s win over the Cardinals.

The Rams boast a star-studded roster that features Aaron Donald, Jalen Ramsey, Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp. They rely heavily on those four players, and missing any of them can be a significant blow to the team.

They were without Jalen Ramsey on Monday night against the Cardinals after he tested positive for COVID-19, but the Rams’ other three stars stepped up in a big way during their 30-23 win on the road. Pro Football Focus graded Kupp, Donald and Stafford all highly, and it would be impossible not to after seeing the way they played.

Here’s a look at the best and worst performers on each side of the ball, as well as some other notable grades from PFF.

Run defense comes up big in Rams’ win over Cardinals on MNF

The Rams’ run defense accepted the challenge of slowing down the Cardinals’ rushing attack, and they succeeded in a big way.

The Los Angeles Rams came away with a much-needed win over the Arizona Cardinals on Monday Night Football in Week 14, inching them closer in the divisional race. Matthew Stafford was nearly flawless under center and the defense created multiple turnovers against Kyler Murray and Arizona’s offense.

Among the groups of players that deserve credit for Monday’s impressive win, the Rams’ run defense was crucial in pulling off the upset over their NFC West rivals despite being shorthanded due to injuries and COVID-19 issues.

The Cardinals own the No. 12-ranked rushing attack in the NFL, averaging a solid 122.5 rushing yards per game. Despite James Conner scoring two touchdowns on the ground — and being nearly unstoppable as a receiver — the Rams limited Conner to a mere 31 yards on 13 attempts, his lowest output as a starter for the Cardinals.

Besides logging a season-high three sacks, Aaron Donald was living in the backfield and allowing other guys to win their matchups in run situations. Greg Gaines had another stellar outing for the Rams, recording five tackles, one sack, and a couple of critical tackles on a scrambling Murray.

We’ve seen multiple teams have no issue gashing Los Angeles on the ground this season. But with the playoffs steadily approaching, the Rams showed signs of major improvement in their run defense during Monday night’s showdown with the Cardinals.

Given the Rams’ remaining schedule that features the Seahawks, Vikings, Ravens and 49ers, they will need their run defense to remain strong if they want to position themselves better in the NFC playoff picture.

[listicle id=659758]

8 crazy stats from Rams’ 30-23 win over Cardinals

Cooper Kupp continues to make history, and so does Aaron Donald. Check out these 8 standout stats from the Rams’ win over the Cardinals.

When the Rams needed a win most, they delivered by beating the 10-2 Cardinals on the road Monday night. Despite being short-handed, Los Angeles won 30-23 at State Farm Stadium, pulling within one game of the division lead.

Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp and Aaron Donald helped carry the team without Jalen Ramsey, Tyler Higbee and four other starters, putting together arguably the best performances of the season. They each made some history, too, whether personal records or league-wide ones.

Here are eight crazy stats from Monday night’s win by the Rams.

Cardinals-Rams game featured many outstanding individual performances

Players on both teams stood out for their play on Monday night.

The Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams played an exciting game Monday night in front of a national audience. Fans and viewers got to see many great performances.

The Cardinals ultimately lost 30-23 but players on both teams stood out for their play.

Let’s take a look at some of the top performances from the game.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

Latest show:

Previous shows:

and

Aaron Donald opens Monday Night Football in furious fashion

Aaron Donald kicked off Monday Night Football with a compelling reminder that he’s still the baddest man in the NFL.

As it stands right now, the three-way race for Defensive Player of the Year appears to be between Pittsburgh’s T.J. Watt, Cleveland’s Myles Garrett, and Dallas’ Micah Parsons.

Who’s missing in the discussion? Rams behemoth Aaron Donald, who already won the award in 2017, 2018, and 2020. And it’s not as if Donald has had a below-average season — coming into Monday night’s game against the Cardinals, Donald had amassed seven sacks, eight quarterback hits, and 37 quarterback hurries. Not quite the level we’ve seen in previous seasons, but Donald is still a force, and when you’re talking DPOY, it’s best not to ignore him.

Donald re-stated his case on the first play of the Cardinals game, and right guard Max Garcia was the unfortunate opponent in Donald’s way.

Donald basically pushes Garcia into Kyler Murray, and the only thing stopping Donald from an outright sack (he was credited with one) is the presence of left tackle D.J. Humphries, busy blocking on the other side.

It was a compelling reminder that when he’s on his game, Aaron Donald is still the NFL’s most malevolent force — and he should absolutely be in the DPOY conversation, whether we’re talking about him or not.

Watch: Aaron Donald destroys Cardinals guard for sack on first play

This sack by Aaron Donald was one of the best you’ll see all season.

The Rams may be severely short-handed against the Cardinals tonight, but they still have Aaron Donald. And he wasted no time announcing himself on the Cardinals’ first series of the game.

In fact, he showed up on the very first play from scrimmage, absolutely blowing up the right guard Max Garcia for a sack on Kyler Murray. Donald bull-rushed him straight into the quarterback, causing Murray to fall down for a 6-yard loss.

It’s not a play many defensive tackles can make, but Donald isn’t like most interior rushers. He’s in a class of his own.

Take a look at his spectacular play to begin the night below.

Aaron Donald is treating Rams’ rematch with Cardinals like a playoff game

Aaron Donald says he’s “a little bit more pumped up” for this rematch with the Cardinals, given the playoff implications.

The Rams have played a bunch of important games this season, from their Week 3 matchup with the Bucs to their Week 12 game against the Packers. But there’s none bigger than Monday night’s showdown in the desert with the 10-2 Cardinals, who are in position to essentially lock up the NFC West with a win this week.

This rematch of their Week 4 game – which the Cardinals won 37-20 – carries major playoff implications not only in the NFC West, but in the conference as a whole. And even though the Rams will still be in good shape regardless of the result, Aaron Donald is treating this like a playoff game.

“I know everybody’s pumped up but I’m actually a little bit more pumped up after the way they beat us at our home field last game,” he said on SiriusXM NFL Radio Thursday. And it’s division game, so any time you play a divisional game, a team you play twice a year, you’re always going to be up for that game. It’s going to be a physical game. It’s time for some get back. That’s how I see it. It’s going to be a big game for us. We need this game to keep us in a position where we want to be, so we’ve got to take this like it’s a playoff game.”

If the Rams win, they’ll be one game back of the Cardinals with four weeks remaining. If they lose, they’ll fall three behind, giving the Cardinals a chance to clinch the division with a win over the Lions in Week 15.

In all likelihood, Arizona will win the division but the Rams absolutely need a victory on Monday to stay alive. Donald seems ready to avenge their loss in Week 4, and there’s no doubt the rest of the team is prepared for this one, too.