Head coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens paid superstar defensive lineman Aaron Donald of the Los Angeles Rams great praise ahead of their Sunday matchup at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, which is home to both teams’ hopes of making the playoffs.
“You have to know where’s he’s at, at all times, and try to get as many people blocking him as you can for as long as you can — which is a tall order,” Harbaugh said about Donald during a news conference, per Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. “He’s probably the greatest to ever play at that position.”
Three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year Donald is sure to be inducted into the Hall of Fame on the first ballot one day. The 32-year-old has recorded six sacks, 43 total tackles, 13 tackles for loss, and 21 quarterback hits in 12 games this season.
When it comes to “G.O.A.T.” defensive player arguments, certain NFL insiders, like Peter King of NBC Sports, have caused controversy over the years by implying that they would pick Donald over former New York Giants star Lawrence Taylor. Although Harbaugh is undoubtedly proud of everything that Donald has accomplished and can accomplish on Sunday, the head coach made it apparent that he doesn’t think the Los Angeles defense is a one-man show right now.
“…It’s not just him, they have just quite a few really good players on defense,” Harbaugh added during his comments. “They play really hard. They’re flying around [and have] a very disruptive front. So, we have our work cut out for us.”
The ESPN Football Power Index assigned the 6-6 Rams a 43.9% chance to qualify for the postseason as of Thursday afternoon. Prior to the weekend, the same source gave the 9-3 Ravens an 85.3% probability to win the AFC North division title.
Oddschecker posted the Ravens as 7.5-point favorites to defeat the Rams on Thursday as well. With a large line like that, maybe Donald and company will be even more motivated as Los Angeles looks to move up into the NFC playoff spots.
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