As the centerpiece of the defense on the NFL's last undefeated team, defensive tackle and tour de force Aaron Donald's impact goes beyond statistics.
However, the Los Angeles Rams All-Pro's numbers are borderline unbelievable.
It's amazing enough that Donald leads the NFL with 10.0 sacks as an interior lineman. All the more amazing, though, is that Donald has been double-teamed on 70 percent of the snaps he's played, according to Next Gen Stats.
"Yes, he's awesome," Rams defensive coordinator Wade Phillips said, per the team's official site. "I've had a lot of great ones and he's another one in that top echelon. Like I said, he's special in that it's just so hard to do inside. People don't -- like you said, he is double-teamed a lot. Even they brought the back on him also. He's overcome a lot of things to be as good as he is and he's a tremendous player. I can't say enough good things about him. And he's a great guy, great guy to coach. They asked me when I came in here, 'Well is he going to be able to play a 3-4?' Yeah, I think he can."
Donald, the NFC Defensive Player of the Month for October, was last year's AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year and seems as though a back-to-back honor is nearing a given.
He's gaining steam, tallying six sacks over his last two games.
"I'm just playing, I don't even worry about it," Donald said. "I'm just going out there and doing my job, so whatever it is -- if it's a hard slide protection, if it's a double team, or even a triple team or a chip -- whatever it is, I'm just finding ways to win, so that's about it."
