Bold prediction: LA Rams Aaron Donald leads dominating DL on MNF

The LA Rams DL Donald will lead the defensive line to their best 2020 season performance on Monday Night Football

LA Rams All-Pro defensive lineman Aaron Donald did not record a quarterback sack against the Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson. In fact, the only defensive lineman who did so was Michael Brockers. Curiously absent from the list is All-Pro defensive lineman Aaron Donald. Yes, he has gone goose eggs in the statistic twice previously. And on each occasion, he’s showed up bigger and badder the following week.

Now, Donald will lead the Rams defensive line against a familiar veteran quarterback by the name of Tom Brady.  While Brady is many things, he is not mobile. In fact, he very much depends upon a stalwart offensive line to ensure he can get the pass off.  The LA Rams have brought down the quarterback 31 times in nine games.  Meanwhile, Brady has only been sacked 14 times. But there are reasons why he may be vulnerable on Monday Night Football.

Bucs OL woes open Rams DL doors

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be without offensive guard Ali Marpet in this one. To compensate, the Bucs will move Ryan Jensen to guard, and A.Q. Shipley will take over at center.  And there’s the rub.  You see, the Bucs have worked without Marpet for the past three games, and Brady has been sacked six times in those three games. Now the Bucs face a very talented and motivated Rams defensive line.

The Bucs surrendered three quarterback sacks to the Chicago Bears with a healthy offensive line. The Rams defense is similarly constructed and faces a Bucs offensive line weakened in the interior. And the Rams defensive line is eager to show up in a big way on Monday Night Football. After all, they are all teammates with no special privileges or passes. Even star DL Aaron Donald is called out in their meeting room, which is exactly how he wants it to be.

Rams DL will play huge in this one

The Rams field a beefed-up defensive line. The Rams have a solid rotation now, and it was pumped up even higher with the arrival of veteran nose tackle A’Shawn Robinson. That’s why I’m calling this a huge game for the Rams defensive line. I believe that the Rams will take advantage of the Bucs makeshift OL to make some tackles in the backfield and pressure Brady all night long. That will allow the Rams to knock the ball out too.

Look for Aaron Donald to get to Brady twice, and the Rams defense to do so five times. As long as the Rams can get to Brady, he will struggle. And if Donald shows up huge in this one, he could narrow the gap to his claim to the most quarterback sacks in the history of the LA Rams.

The Rams are in for an uphill battle in this one. They would be hard-pressed to win at SoFi Stadium, but this road trip finale is where the Rams learn just how good they are.  We know in the past that any test of ‘how good are they?’ has been the call for All-Pro Aaron Donald to shine. I don’t see that changing in this one. A year ago, the Buccaneers shocked the Rams with a dominating win. I think the opposite happens in this one. The Rams have a defense that can stop offenses dead in their tracks.

In this contest between future Hall of Famers, I expect Aaron Donald will have the better game. For the LA Rams to have a chance of winning, Donald must be a key contributor.