Aaron Donald will once again be a focal point this week in the Rams-Seahawks showdown on Sunday, doing what he can to help lift L.A. to victory, which would prevent Seattle from clinching the NFC West. Leading up to the game, Pete Carroll was asked about Donald, as every coach is before facing the Rams.
As he has so many times before, Carroll complimented Donald’s game and recognized his greatness. But this time, Carroll went even further by saying No. 99 is as good a player as there has ever been in the NFL.
And Carroll would know, given his coaching experience and the frequency with which his teams have faced Donald.
Pete Carroll on Aaron Donald: “As good as there’s ever been in the game.”
— Gary Klein (@LATimesklein) December 23, 2020
This high praise comes six weeks after Carroll called Donald “close to perfect” as a player.
“He plays with great energy to get to the QB. He’s got everything you’re looking for. He’s as good as you can get,” Carroll said before Week 10.
The Seahawks did a decent job against Donald in their first meeting this season, holding him without a tackle or a sack. He did hit Russell Wilson twice, but blanking him in the other categories was impressive.
The cost of focusing so much attention on Donald was letting other rushers win one-on-one opportunities. Wilson was sacked six times by the Rams in Week 10 as guys not named Aaron Donald made Seattle pay.
Getting to Wilson will be critical this weekend if L.A. is to slow down the Seahawks offense again.
