Falcons 'Excited About The Challenge' Facing Rams DT Aaron Donald

Donald is one of the best players the Falcons should face this season.

Jeremy Brener | Sep 15, 2022

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Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons are heavy underdogs this week as they travel across the country to face the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams.

The Rams are threatening all over the football with high-quality players at every position, but when it comes to the defensive tackle spot, there isn't a player on the planet better than Aaron Donald.

Falcons head coach Arthur Smith is preparing for the task, but feels his team is up for it.

"He's a great player," Smith said. "Probably one of the more dominant players in the league. We've got a ton of respect for him, but there's a challenge every week, that's what makes it's fun. Our guys are excited about the challenge."

Despite struggling last season, Atlanta's offensive line looked strong in the season opener against the New Orleans Saints.

Atlanta's front five didn't allow a sack, something it did just twice all of last season. The Falcons led the league with only one QB hit allowed and finished fourth in ESPN's pass block win rate.

Atlanta graded out seventh in run block win rate and carved open holes time and again vs. New Orleans. The Falcons ran for 201 yards on the ground as a team, the first time they've cleared the 200-yard mark since Dec. 16, 2018. 120 of those yards belonged to running back Cordarrelle Patterson, who averaged a staggering 5.5 yards per carry despite his longest run being just 15 yards, which speaks to the offensive line's consistency.

But with their hands full with Donald, the Falcons' offensive line will be truly tested.

The Falcons and Rams face off at SoFi Stadium at 4:05 p.m. Sunday.

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Published Sep 15, 2022

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.