‘Wrecking ball’ Aaron Donald climbs LA Rams sack list. Baldinger loves it

‘Wrecking ball’ defensive lineman Aaron Donald rises to second on the LA Rams all-time sack list, and NFL’s Brian Baldinger loves it

It’s tough to view what LA Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald did in the first game of the season without a bit of awe, love, and admiration. It only took one game for the All-Pro Aaron Donald to pass Kevin Greene on the LA Rams all-time sack list. He now has 73 sacks and could threaten to overtake leader Leonard Little’s total of 87.5 sacks by this season’s end. If not by then, then certainly at the start of the 2021 season.

After all, there is a reason that Donald continues to remain one of the most respected NFL players of this generation. Entering his seventh season, the star defensive lineman was named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team this year, and is already making a case fo the next decade. And while Donald climbs the team’s sack leaders list, teammate QB Jared Goff is throwing himself up the ladder as the fifth all-time passing yards leader for the Rams with a solid performance in game one. Both Donald and Goff will resume their pursuit this week against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Baldinger loves it

So did anyone notice?  Well, we know that NFL Network’s Brian Baldinger was as animated as I have ever heard him. He named Aaron Donald “a wrecking ball” in his review of Aaron Donald against what seemed at times to be the entire Dallas Cowboys offensive line. And as you can tell by Baldinger’s analysis, even those odds favored Donald.

The LA Rams face the Philadelphia Eagles this week. Whenever these two teams clash, someone compares Aaron Donald to the Eagles Fletcher Cox.  While Cox is the Eagles’ heavyweight defensive lineman, there is no true comparison.  Cox is very good. Donald is just an elite player.

Now is the time to step up and be counted

Now Donald must step up once more. The last time the Rams faced the Eagles, it was in Los Angeles and the Eagles, and Cox, got the best of the Rams. Donald had two tackles, one quarterback hit, and zero sacks, while Cox had three tackles, two quarterback hits, and one sack. Even with the 2018 team that finished the season 13-3, the Rams could not win that one at home.

Now the Rams have a real opportunity to win their second game in 2020 and continue the march to something very special this year. This is not about statistics, sacks, tackles receptions, or yards-per-carry. This is about a team effort that shows up on the final score. The LA Rams proved in game one that the team can make adjustments at half time to seal the win. Now, can this same team win on the road?  That is the million-dollar question. If Aaron Donald has the monster game that we know he is capable of, that could be the deciding factor.