Make California Post a Preferred Source Aaron Donald and Myles Garrett were supposed to be the final pieces of an Avengers-like puzzle for the Los Angeles Rams when they built their superteam in the offseason to win the Super Bowl.
Now as the Rams head into their Week 10 matchup with the Arizona Cardinals, they might be the only thing keeping that dream alive.
The Rams are riding a three-game winning streak, but their roster looks like it survived a demolition derby. Puka Nacua and Davante Adams are sidelined, Terrance Ferguson remains out, the offensive line is dealing with injuries, and Matthew Stafford is running out of familiar faces to throw the football to.
Suddenly, the Rams’ playoff hopes rest on the shoulders of two of the most decorated defensive players of their generation.
And judging by what Garrett and Donald said Thursday, they’re perfectly comfortable carrying that weight.
“We just go out there and play ball. That’s all we can do,” Donald said when asked about the defense shouldering more responsibility. “Keep trying to get the ball back to the offense, trying to get as many three-and-outs as we can, as many turnovers as possible.”
That responsibility begins Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals, the same team that embarrassed Los Angeles with an 18-16 walk-off victory at SoFi Stadium in Week 6.
The Rams were 2-4 after that loss, their season seemingly headed for the scrap heap. Three consecutive victories have resurrected their playoff hopes, but another defeat to Arizona would threaten to undo much of that progress.
The two-time Defensive Player of the Year returned from knee surgery last Sunday against Washington and immediately recorded three sacks, helping the Rams escape with a 20-13 victory.
His presence also gave Donald something he hasn’t enjoyed very often throughout his Hall of Fame-caliber career: another generational pass rusher demanding the same attention.
“Pretty damn exciting, honestly,” Garrett said Thursday on The Rich Eisen Show when asked about playing alongside Donald.
Garrett explained that he noticed something unusual against Washington. Offensive linemen weren’t sliding protection toward him nearly as often as he expected. Then he watched the film.
“You go back, and it’s like, that’s not getting there because he’s whooping ass on the inside,” Garrett said.
Donald, meanwhile, believes opposing offenses are about to discover that protecting against one superstar only creates opportunities for the other.
“I’m pretty sure he’s going to get a lot more double-teams this week, so it’s going to open up for some other guys,” Donald said Thursday. “It’s a different type of comfortability when you’ve got another type of guy out there that can make plays at any time.”
That’s the nightmare Arizona must solve Sunday. Double-team Garrett and Donald gets more favorable matchups inside. Slide protection toward Donald and Garrett could find himself isolated against an offensive tackle.
And don’t forget Braden Fiske, Wesley Bailey and Byron Young, who can capitalize when opposing offenses become obsessed with stopping the two biggest names.
The frightening part is that Garrett insists he’s still not 100 percent healthy following knee surgery. He even criticized his own explosiveness after watching film of his three-sack performance.
“Damn, I’m getting off the ball slow as hell,” Garrett recalled thinking.
Donald, meanwhile, has yet to produce the sack numbers many expected when he came out of retirement. But Garrett believes that’s about to change.
“I know they’ll come in bunches, and they always have,” Garrett said. “The pressures are there. Those pressures will turn into hits and sacks, and his numbers will be off the charts, as they’ve always been.”
Donald isn’t particularly concerned about when those sacks arrive.
“No pressure. Not worried about it,” Donald said. “I’ve been playing football since I was 5, 6 years old, man. They come in bunches. They’ll come eventually.”
There isn’t even a friendly competition between the two over who gets to the quarterback first.
“As long as we’re making plays and finding ways to affect the game and win, that’s it,” Donald said. “I’m here for the ultimate goal.”
For Garrett, who spent much of the season watching helplessly while recovering from surgery, that goal remains within reach. But he knows the Rams can’t afford to wait around for other teams to stumble.
“We can’t be hoping for anyone else to make any mistakes or drop some games,” Garrett said. “We have to go out and get it ourselves.”
That’s precisely what the Rams must do in the desert this Sunday.
With Nacua on injured reserve, Adams unavailable and Stafford preparing to lean on inexperienced receivers, Los Angeles cannot afford another offensive performance that forces its quarterback to manufacture miracles.
The defense needs to create short fields, force turnovers and make Arizona’s quarterback uncomfortable from the opening snap. Oh, and a defensive touchdown or two would also help.
Donald and Garrett don’t necessarily have to combine for six sacks. Their ability to disrupt protections, collapse the pocket and free up teammates can be just as valuable.
But somebody has to take control of this game, and the Rams didn’t assemble this defensive line to watch their Super Bowl dreams disappear in November.
They brought Donald out of retirement and acquired Garrett for moments exactly like this. Now it’s time to show it on the field.
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