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Patrick Mahomes, Deshaun Watson, Christian McCaffrey and Russell Wilson are leading the way into the 2020s.
The NFL and world are ready to turn to another chapter, another decade. Some of the stars have already broken through while others are blossoming. A look at 20 players who will be at the top of the class for the next decade.
Aaron Donald is a beast on the Rams’ defensive line. Already a two-time Defensive Player of the Year, Donald draws double- and triple-teams and still can’t be handled. A mega-star.
Aaron Donald will make NFL history if he wins Defensive Player of the Year in 2020.
Aaron Donald hasn’t put up gaudy numbers or set any records this season, but that doesn’t mean he’s having a down year. He remains one of the very best players in the league regardless of position, and arguably the top defender anywhere in the NFL.
He ranks seventh in sacks (11.0), first in tackles for loss (18) and eighth in quarterback hits (22). According to Pro Football Reference, he has the second-most pressures (49) in the league, too, only one behind T.J. Watt for the most in football. His 28 hurries are tied with Khalil Mack for first, as well.
After looking at his stats, it’s no surprise that he’s the favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year again – which would be his third straight season taking home the award. Bovada has him at 13/5 to win the award, ahead of Stephon Gilmore (9/2) and Nick Bosa (6/1). T.J. Watt is 9/1, which is the fourth-highest.
Odds to win NFL Defensive Player of the Year (Bovada):
Donald +260
Gilmore +450
N.Bosa +600
TJ Watt +900
Barrett/Jordan +1400
Mack +2000
Collins/Hunter +2200
Fitzpatrick/C.Jones +2500
McCourty +2800
J.Bosa/Wagner/Miller/Lawrence +4000 pic.twitter.com/kaVZck2o5S— Odds Shark (@OddsShark) December 11, 2019
If Donald does go on to win Defensive Player of the Year, he’ll make NFL history in doing so. He’ll become the first player ever to win it three years in a row, breaking a tie with Lawrence Taylor and J.J. Watt, who both won it in back-to-back seasons.
Donald has once again caught fire after a relatively slow start, recording at least one sack in seven of his last eight games and 10 total since Week 6. In the first five games of the season, he only had one sack.
If he keeps up this pace, he’ll be holding that trophy once again come Februrary.
Quinnen Williams hasn’t performed up to the level the Jets expected him to when they draft him third overall this summer.
When the Jets took Quinnen Williams third overall in the 2019 draft, they wanted him to become a force in the middle of their defensive line. Not necessarily Aaron Donald, but someone along those lines and just as menacing.
Through 13 weeks of his rookie season, Williams hasn’t been what the Jets hoped he’d become. He’s tallied only 1.5 sacks, 23 total tackles, three tackles for a loss and four quarterback hits in 10 games (he missed two weeks with an ankle injury) and hasn’t yet lived up to the pre-draft hype as the best player on the board. It’s still early in his career, but Williams is at risk of turning into yet another first-round mistake for the Jets, especially considering players like edge rusher Josh Allen and defensive tackle Ed Oliver were also available with the third pick.
Williams needs to step up now as his rookie season winds down to prove to the team and the NFL he was worth the high investment. The Jets have spent five of their last 10 first-round picks on defensive linemen since 2011, and only Williams remains on the team after New York traded 2015 first-rounder Leonard Williams at the trade deadline.
Williams has talent. He’s shown it in flashes throughout the season. There’s a good amount of impressive reps from Williams on Twitter, including this play against Raiders center Rodney Hudson and this pressure on Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz. Williams is a huge reason why the Jets have the No. 1 run defense as well – he has five solo run stuffs on the year which is fifth in the league – but that isn’t enough.
The Jets need production after investing such a high draft pick on Williams. It doesn’t matter if he’s getting penetration or thwarting rushes if offenses are still beating the Jets. Dominant interior defensive linemen can change the game. Guys like Donald, Ndamukong Suh and Fletcher Cox made names for themselves with game-wrecking plays throughout their careers.
So far this season, three of the four defensive tackles picked ahead of Williams – Oliver (Bills, 9th), Christian Wilkins (Dolphins, 13th) and Dexter Lawrence (Giants, 17th) – have either more sacks, tackles or quarterback hits than Williams. Oliver has him beat in all three categories. Jerry Tillery, the fourth tackle pick in the first round (28th by the Chargers) is tied with Williams with 1.5 sacks. Stats aren’t the be-all and end-all for player evaluation, especially for a player who does most of his work in the trenches, but they are important for a defense like the Jets who lack a true playmaker on the line. The Jets drafted Williams to be that player. They traded Leonard Williams away because he didn’t turn into that type of player. Quality reps are nice, but it won’t be enough for the Jets to turn into a truly dominant defense.
This isn’t meant to disparage Williams as a player – he’s very good and has a lot of potential. But something needs to change down the stretch, either from Williams or the Jets defensive scheming. With so many injuries across the board, defensive coordinator Gregg Williams needs to unlock the beast in his young defensive tackle. Or, Williams needs to take it upon himself to move into another gear in the final four games of his rookie season.
Williams can do it. He’s shown the ability to blow up runs and pressure the quarterback. What he’s lacked so far is that play that sets Twitter ablaze. His sack on Ryan Fitzpatrick in Week 8 displayed all the skills that make Williams special, but it was against the Dolphins in a loss. If Williams can take the next step from a quality defensive lineman to a dominant one, he can shake off the bust moniker that’s slowly creeping into his professional evaluation.
Aaron Donald certainly has things he can improve on, according to Sean McVay.
Aaron Donald has been one of the best overall players in the NFL the last few years, winning back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year awards. He led the league in sacks with 20.5 last season, which set an NFL record for a defensive tackle, but his numbers don’t look as impressive in 2019.
He has eight sacks in 11 games, which is still impressive for a DT but it isn’t what fans are used to after seeing him stuff the stat sheet last season.
Donald was shut out by the Ravens in Week 12, being held to just a tackle assist on the night. He didn’t get a single hit on Lamar Jackson, nor did he do much in the way of pressure. Sean McVay said Donald’s stats are misleading because of how much attention he draws.
Still, McVay believes Donald has room for improvement.
“Sometimes the stats can be misleading. I don’t think anybody on our team, really as a whole, played good enough to feel good about what occurred last week,” he said. “He certainly has things he can improve on. Then, sometimes there is an element of, all right, if they are paying a lot of attention and he’s dictating double teams, then it does free other guys up. Sometimes it’s about the play-ops that present themselves. More than anything, you look at your factor-ops from a defensive standpoint. He consistently grades extremely high on that, but that was a game our team as a whole, and I don’t think anybody can say that they were good enough last week.”
Donald remains one of the best players in the league and someone every offense has to be aware of. He can wreck a game with his ability to generate pressure and create negative plays, which is what makes him so good.
He’s still in contention for Defensive Player of the Year in 2019, which says everything you need to know about how well-respected and viewed he is by everyone.
Aaron Donald hopes to have another huge game against the Cardinals.
The Arizona Cardinals may only be 3-7-1, but they’re a far better team than their record indicates. They nearly upset the 10-1 49ers twice in the last month and Kyler Murray is finding his footing under center.
Sunday’s game won’t be an easy one for the Los Angeles Rams, especially when analyzing the individual matchups that are set to take place on the field.
Here are the five most important matchups for the Rams against the Cardinals.
Evans was protected by the Rams against the Bears with a lot of help from the tight ends, but he was left alone more often against Baltimore. He held his own, but none of the Ravens’ pass rushers are as good as Chandler Jones. In fact, very few edge rushers in the NFL are. He’ll have his work cut out for him against Jones, who has 12.5 sacks this season and is someone the Rams have to account for on every snap.
Aaron Donald has once again been a stud for the Rams this season.
The Rams probably won’t be sending many players to the Pro Bowl this year with Jared Goff, Todd Gurley and Andrew Whitworth having down years, but Aaron Donald is one of the few standouts who hasn’t slowed down.
In an update released by the NFL on Wednesday, Donald leads all defensive tackles in Pro Bowl voting with 128,397 votes. The AFC leader at defensive tackle, Cameron Heyward of the Steelers, has 90,351 votes.
Donald is the only player who leads his position in voting, but another former Ram does, too. Marcus Peters has the most votes of any cornerback in the NFL at 110,949. Peters has been a stud for the Ravens since being traded by the Rams and is deserving of a spot in the Pro Bowl.
Players such as Cory Littleton and Jalen Ramsey still have time to earn votes from fans, but as of now, it’s looking like Donald is the only lock to make the Pro Bowl.
The Baltimore Ravens’ top-ranked rushing offense will have their hands full against the Los Angeles Rams defense.
The Baltimore Ravens will be looking to keep the offensive fireworks going on Monday night. They’ll have to do so against one of the most feared defensive units in the NFL in the Los Angeles Rams.
Baltimore has already run away from some of the league’s best in their remarkable 8-2 start. They’ve rightfully claimed the top spot in many of the power rankings around the web and quarterback Lamar Jackson is the frontrunner to win the MVP award. Waiting for Jackson and company tonight is the two-time reigning Defensive Player of the Year, defensive tackle Aaron Donald, and a Rams team entering desperation mode.
The Rams were an elite offense in 2018 that masked some of their defensive struggles. And while their offense currently ranks 10th in points scored while their defense is 11th in points allowed, Los Angeles just doesn’t have the same mojo as last season, entering Week 12 at 6-4 and mired in a tight NFC playoff picture.
Let’s take a look at three players on the Rams defense the Ravens will have to focus on in order to keep Jackson’s MVP numbers and their winning streak rolling.
We’ll start with the most obvious as the four-time All-Pro is a nightmare for any offensive line. Thanks to having some other players around him to ease the burden and double teams, Donald is on pace to win his third consecutive Defensive Player of the Year award.
Linebackers Clay Matthews and Dante Fowler have combined for 13.5 sacks this season, in addition to Donald’s team-leading eight sacks. Michael Brockers has not put up big numbers in 2019 but is a force up front as well. The Ravens offensive line is in for a test.
But it all starts with limiting Donald’s impact on the game. The Ravens’ top rushing offense is going to have their hands full containing who many feel is the best all-around player in the NFL. Baltimore will double team him all night, chip him with running backs whenever possible and do whatever it takes to steer clear of his presence on the field.
It is easier said than done as the Rams line Donald all over the line-of-scrimmage, but offensive coordinator Greg Roman has the personnel to try to slow him own. You’re not going to keep him from making an impact throughout, but limiting him to a few plays and keeping his hands off Jackson as much as possible will get that potent ground game churning.
Are you ready for some football!? The Baltimore Ravens will look to extend their winning streak to seven-straight games against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 12. This is another big test for Baltimore as they look to continue their dominance over …
Are you ready for some football!? The Baltimore Ravens will look to extend their winning streak to seven-straight games against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 12.
This is another big test for Baltimore as they look to continue their dominance over playoff-caliber teams. While Los Angeles hasn’t been great this season, they are fresh off a Super Bowl visit, so they’re certainly nothing to look down at. The Ravens will have to play great, consistent and efficient football to win this week.
Are the Rams finally the team to stop quarterback Lamar Jackson and Baltimore’s dominance? According to the writers here at Ravens Wire, not a chance. Check below to see everyone’s final score predictions for this Week 12 contest.
Ravens 38 – Rams 17
Man, I’m confident in this team. They have the best offense in the league and since Week 7, the best defense as well. They’re scoring points seemingly at will on both sides of the football and have been beating up playoff-caliber teams for the last few weeks. And I think the Ravens continue to do that same exact thing in front of a national audience this week as they destroy the Rams.
No team has been able to contain Lamar Jackson. It’s just been varying degrees of selling out to even attempt it and what that opens up elsewhere. If Los Angeles does what every other team this season has done and keeps their eyes in the backfield worrying about Jackson, I expect Baltimore to put up points early. From there, the Rams don’t have the offense or quarterback to play from behind and they’ll make more mistakes that compound in a lopsided loss.
The writers here at Ravens Wire once again try our hand at some bold predictions for the Baltimore Ravens vs. Los Angeles Rams Week 12 game
In spite of being the best team in the league at the current moment, the Baltimore Ravens will play in just their first Monday Night Football game of the season. They’ll take on the Los Angeles Rams and look to extend their winning streak to seven games, including three against playoff-caliber teams.
The writers here at Ravens Wire are pumped and with that excitement comes some pretty bold predictions. As we do each week, every writer here at Ravens Wire will toss out a prediction for the game that is pretty outlandish but still plausible.
Lamar Jackson runs for 100-plus yards
Jackson hasn’t gone over 100 yards on the ground since Week 7 and it’s time to change that. I think Los Angeles will feel like they can contain him better than other teams and get caught clearly underestimating Jackson’s prowess on the ground. He’ll break off a few first-down runs but it’ll be two big game-changing scampers that go on his highlight reel for the season and put him firmly over 100 rushing yards.
In doing so, he’ll be just the fourth quarterback to do so on Monday Night Football, helping to cement his legacy further.
Aaron Donald sheds light on what it’ll be like to face Lamar Jackson.
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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