It’s rare for Aaron Donald to be left out of the box score without a single defensive stat, but even when he doesn’t record a tackle or hit on the quarterback, his impact is still felt. Against the Ravens, Donald failed to make a tackle or get his name on the stat sheet but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t pressuring Lamar Jackson and disrupting Baltimore’s offense.
According to Pro Football Focus, Donald had eight pressures in the Rams’ overtime loss to the Ravens. That’s tied for the most in the NFL this week, despite the fact that he was getting double- and triple-teamed constantly by the Ravens.
The photo below shows what Donald was dealing with snap in and snap out.
Aaron Donald recorded 8 QB pressures vs. the Ravens
He's tied for the most in the NFL for week 14 🤯 pic.twitter.com/F3JJOePOoa
— PFF LA Rams (@PFF_Rams) December 11, 2023
Donald would’ve had a sack or two if not for Lamar Jackson’s elusiveness, and Aaron paid Jackson a compliment after the game for the way he escapes tackles.
“Just elusive, man. He’s so hard to get to,” he said. “He just did a good job.”
John Harbaugh said last week that Donald is probably the best defensive tackle in NFL history so he knew he’d have to commit a lot of resources to stopping No. 99. That’s exactly what he and the Ravens did, forcing the Rams’ other pass rushers to beat them by giving them one-on-one opportunities.
Donald may not have gotten on the stat sheet, but his impact was felt as a pass rusher with eight total pressures.
