For Aaron Donald, this weekend will be somewhat of a homecoming, playing in the city where he grew up and played his college ball for the first time as a pro. For Todd Gurley, it’ll be a chance to beat the team he grew up rooting against.
Gurley was a Ravens fan when he was younger, so he never liked the Steelers. He’s played against the Steelers once before as a rookie, a game in which he made his NFL debut, but he only had six carries for 9 yards in that one.
The Rams lost that game 12-6, so he’ll try to get a win this time around on Sunday when the Rams face Pittsburgh on the road.
“I grew up a Ravens fan, so I never liked the Steelers,” Gurley said during his press conference Thursday. “I’m looking forward to it, it’s like one of those places like Green Bay, Dallas, Chicago, Pittsburgh – those are like the main teams to start the NFL. To be able to go up there and play against a good team, you’ve got great players in James Conner and JuJu (Smith-Schuster), Mark (Barron), Bud Dupree. Minkah (Fitzpatrick) has been balling out ever since he got traded to them. Joe Haden has been in this league for a long time. I’m looking forward to going up there and playing against a hard-nosed defense. That’s always been their philosophy to be all about the ball and all about defense. Should be a fun game.”
The Rams are coming off their bye week, having won each of their last two games. The Steelers are on a three-game winning streak, though, and have looked great on defense. Gurley and the Rams could have some trouble moving the football Sunday, but limiting the Steelers offense shouldn’t be terribly difficult with James Conner out.
Regardless, it should be a close matchup with the Rams only favored by 3.5 points.
