Aaron Donald doesn’t look like a player going through the motions. He looks like someone who has settled in, found his rhythm, and is ready to start wrecking game plans again.
That’s a problem for the Arizona Cardinals.
The Rams never figured they’d get Donald back after his two-year retirement, and the early returns haven’t exactly screamed comeback tour. He still hasn’t lined up alongside Myles Garrett, he’s been working on a team that hasn’t been winning, and his workload has been pretty controlled. Through three games, Donald has averaged 37 snaps a night and put up six tackles, one tackle for loss, a quarterback hit, and no sacks.
But the bigger question isn’t about the numbers. It’s whether Donald feels like himself again. By his own account, the answer is yes.
"It (his first sack) felt good. Watching the film, looking more like myself, feeling more like myself out there.
The game is starting to slow down. Feeling good.
I'm having fun, getting into a good groove. I have to keep it up.
I wish it would have made it, but I didn't. I have (to) try to make it this week; that's all."
That’s the kind of quote that should make Arizona sit up a little straighter.
Donald had his first sack erased by a penalty, but instead of sounding irritated by it, he sounded energized. And when Aaron Donald starts feeling loose and confident, the pressure is usually about to come in waves.
He’s been working his way in like a boxer reading his opponent, studying angles and timing before unloading. The idea isn’t if he’s going to get home.
It’s when. Week 6 against the Cardinals looks like a very real spot for that breakthrough.
Arizona comes in at 1-4, and Jacoby Brissett has already absorbed plenty of punishment. He’s thrown for 1,110 yards with nine touchdowns and five interceptions, but he’s also been sacked 12 times for a loss of 69 yards. That works out to 2.4 sacks per game, which is not exactly the kind of protection that screams “safe against Aaron Donald.”
And Donald won’t be the only Rams defender coming after him. Byron Young, Josaiah Stewart, and Wesley Bailey are all part of the mix off the edge. Young leads the team with 3.5 sacks, Stewart and Bailey each have one, Kam Kinchens has half a sack, and Omar Speights has already gotten to the quarterback twice.
Even with all that help, Donald is still the headliner. He’s the one who can tilt the whole night. He knows the Rams need a win, and he sounds ready to help deliver one.
For the Cardinals, that’s the bad news. For everyone else, it might be the week the show really starts.
In Other News...
Rams Just Wasted A Defensive Effort Fans Deserved Better Than This
The Rams had more than enough on defense to put themselves in position to win Sunday, but they could not get the offense to meet them halfway in an 18-16 loss to the Cardinals. Los Angeles never found the end zone, and Matthew Stafford did not get over 100 passing yards until the fourth quarter, a glaring sign of how long the offense spent searching for anything that resembled rhythm.
Meanwhile, the defense kept doing its part, coming up with an interception and tightening up inside the red zone to keep Arizona from pulling away. Even with that effort, the game still came down to the final kick, and the Cardinals walked it off as time expired, leaving the Rams with the kind of loss that feels especially frustrating because the work on one side of the ball deserved a better finish. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Pressure On Shane Steichen Just Raised One Huge Question
The Colts rocky start has only added to the noise around Shane Steichens future, with Indianapolis sitting at 2-4 through Week 6 and the scrutiny around the head coach growing louder by the week. Co-owner and CEO Carlie Irsay-Gordon has reportedly already put Steichen and general manager Chris Ballard on notice about the standard the franchise expects to meet in 2026, a clear sign that the organization is looking beyond just the current slide.
For a team trying to steady itself before the season drifts any further, the conversation is no longer just about fixing the offense or getting back on track. It is also about what happens if the results do not change, and the list of possible replacements is already part of the backdrop around Steichens tenure, which makes every week from here carry a little more weight. [Read more 🡒]
Jalen Hurts Rams Aftermath Now Carries Much Bigger Questions
Jalen Hurts health situation has now shifted far beyond the usual late-season injury chatter, with the Eagles ruling him out for the rest of the year after diagnosing him with deep vein thrombosis and bilateral pulmonary emboli. The team laid out a detailed timeline of how the blood clot issues were discovered, how he was treated and evaluated, and how travel factored into the process before medical experts were consulted and the decision was made to place him on injured reserve.
For the Rams, who have had plenty of recent history with Hurts on the other side of the field, the immediate football angle is only part of the story now. What matters most is that one of the leagues most prominent quarterbacks is dealing with a serious medical issue that leaves the Eagles without their starter and raises much bigger questions than anything tied to the standings. [Read more 🡒]