For the first time since the 2014 season when he was a No. 1 draft pick, the Arizona Cardinals are facing the Los Angeles Rams without defensive lineman Aaron Donald.
Donald, who will become eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2029, routinely gave fits to offensive linemen and was a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year while being first-team All-Pro eight times in his 10-year career and was selected to the Pro Bowl every season, including when he was the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.
His career totals in 154 games were 111 sacks, 176 tackles for loss and 260 quarterback hits. In 20 games against the Cardinals, he had 16 sacks, 26 tackles for loss and 34 QB hits.
When word spread in the offseason that Donald was retiring, quarterback Kyler Murray merely wrote two words on Twitter: “THANK GOD.”
This week, Murray said, “He’s in my eyes the best of all time, so I’m definitely glad that he’s not going to be out there on Sunday for sure.”
When left guard Evan Brown, who started all 16 games for the Seahawks last season and also played against him in 2021 when he was with the Lions, was asked how good it is to prepare for the Rams without Donald, he laughed and said, “When we all saw he retired in the offseason, most of the linemen gave a little sigh on that one because he’s one of the best interior guys to ever play the game.
“Every time he was out there, you had to account for him and know where he was at. You would build the game plan around him. He was one of the only defensive tackles in the league that you’re truly adjusting game plans for, knowing where he is on the field at all times.”
What made him so great? Brown said, “He’s such a smart player. He just knew the ins and outs of the game. Just his explosiveness, his instinctiveness to play off blocks. Just how strong and athletic he was. Just a perfect combination of being a great 3-tech.”
Did he ever take a play off? “I don’t think he did,” Brown said.
Right guard Will Hernandez had a one-word answer when asked what made Donald so great: “Everything.”
Despite not having No. 99 on the other side of the line of scrimmage, the Cardinals offense know Sunday won’t be a walk in the park.
“They’re still obviously well-coached,” Murray said. “They have a lot of great young players up there that play super hard. Those things are unmatched. Any d-line that plays really hard and tries to get after the quarterback the way they do is just going to be a tough matchup for you.”
Said offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, “They have really good players. Obviously, he’s a Hall of Famer, so it’s different. Their D-line is good. They have good edge guys. Again, they’re coordinated very well. They play well together.”
“Gotta give props to him. He did a lot of things for them and what they did,” Brown said. “Now they’ve got to adjust off of not having him there. They’ve got some great d-linemen over there that they’re building with that are young, that are talented. It’s just another different challenge now.”
Right tackle Kelvin Beachum, who will start this week with Jonah Williams on injured reserve, said Donald isn’t on anyone’s mind now.
“We’re worried about the guys that we’re playing this week,” he said. “We don’t have time to think about the past. We’re worried about the guys that we’re playing this week. They have a really good front: 91, 55, 92, 0, 8 and 97. Those are the folks we’re worried about right now.”
“Those folks,” by number, are Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske, Neville Gallimore, Byron Young. Jared Verse and Michael Hoecht.
By late Sunday afternoon, we’ll know if the Cardinals have had any success against a team they have defeated only twice starting in 2017.
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