The Green Bay Packers struggling offensive line unit now faces the difficult task of trying to contain Rams’ interior defensive lineman Aaron Donald, who, on his own, can wreck any game.
“Aaron Donald is a dynamic player,” said Jordan Love on Wednesday. “Someone that going into this week we’ve got to have a plan for. He’s a game-changer for the defense. He makes plays all the time. He’s somebody we’ve got to be aware of.”
Donald has been one of the game’s most dominant and disruptive defenders for years now, and 2023 isn’t any different. He currently ranks second among all interior defenders in total pressures this season and fourth in pass rush win rate. Donald also ranks fourth amongst his position group in run-stops, according to PFF.
The offensive line play for the Packers was supposed to be one of the stabilizing forces in 2023, something that this young offense could lean on. However, too often, that hasn’t been the case.
Green Bay’s 3.8 yards per rush attempt ranks 21st, and that figure is bolstered by several long scrambles by Jordan Love. In the last four games, Love has the fourth-most dropbacks in football that have been under pressure. While PFF’s grades aren’t the be-all-end-all when it comes to evaluating a player’s performance, it’s worth noting that Elgton Jenkins, Josh Myers, and Jon Runyan – all of whom will be matched up with Donald at some point – rank 93rd, 111th, and 109th, respectively in run-blocking out of 124 interior linemen.
The inability to move the ball on the ground has made the offense one-dimensional and been a key contributor to this unit being in predictable, long down-and-distance situations as often as they’ve been, which has spelled doom for this passing game. Regular pressure is never good for any quarterback, let alone a first-time starter with a young group of pass-catchers, and has likely played a factor in Love’s decisiveness regressing.
As a unit, the Rams’ defense is allowing 4.1 yards per carry this season, which ranks 17th, and they rank just 28th in quarterback pressure rate, according to Pro Football Reference. While Donald is 10th in pass rush win rate among all interior defenders and edge rushers, the next highest ranked Rams defender is Byron Young at 112th.
With that said, over the last few games, we’ve seen other one-man wrecking crews in Aidan Hutchinson and Maxx Crosby absolutely derail the Packers’ offensive game plan, just as Donald can do. The best way for a defense to blow up any offensive play is with quick pressure from up the middle. I imagine the quick passing game is going to be a key part of the gameplan Matt LaFleur constructs this week.
“He definitely causes a lot of pause on a lot of things you may want to try to do because he’s such a game wrecker,” said Matt LaFleur. “You’ve got to account for him on every snap. They do a good job of being able to move him around. They give you different personnels, different front structures. I think they do a great job with him, and he’s a guy that can absolutely take over a game.”
