'Proud of Him!' Aaron Donald Had a Message For Jared Goff Ahead of Playoff Matchup

Los Angeles Rams star Aaron Donald was very clear on his opinion of Detroit Lions QB Jared Goff ahead of their Sunday playoff matchup.
'Proud of Him!' Aaron Donald Had a Message For Jared Goff Ahead of Playoff Matchup
'Proud of Him!' Aaron Donald Had a Message For Jared Goff Ahead of Playoff Matchup /
In this story:

The Los Angeles Rams are set to head to the Motor City to take on the Detroit Lions in the Wild Card round of the NFL Playoffs on Sunday night, in what could be the most intriguing matchup of the weekend. 

With Matthew Stafford returning to where his career began and Jared Goff taking on the team that traded him away, and all of the other storylines in between, it is sure to be an emotional evening for both sides. 

But before the festivities begin on Sunday, Rams star Aaron Donald was sure to reach out to his former teammate Goff, to let him know exactly how he feels about what he has done in Detroit.

Jared Goff Aaron Donald
Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

“We had a good relationship,” Donald said. “I reached out to him and told him I’m proud of him... what they’ve been accomplishing and what he’d been doing. I said, ‘I’ll see you Sunday night.’ He said, ‘Appreciate you, brother. I'll see you Sunday night.’ It's going to be fun.”

Goff, of course, is not nearly the same player he was back when he was with L.A., becoming a far more polished passer, but also growing in his knowledge of the game. 

Those improvements have helped Goff lead the Lions to their first division title since 1993, allowing them to host their first home playoff game in 30 years. 

"He was here, helped us do some great things, and then to go to Detroit, help build that back to where they’re at the day and all the success they've been having this season," Donald said. "Just proud of him."

'I'm The Bad Guy!' Rams QB Matthew Stafford Preps For Return To Detroit in Playoffs

In fact, Goff has been so good this season, that he set a new career mark in completion percentage at 67.3 percent, throwing for 4,575 yards and 30 touchdowns - the second most of his career (2018).

And Donald sees that improvement very clearly.

"Obviously, he grew as a player," Donald said. "The X’s and O’s, he probably knows even much more than what he did when he was here. He's a great football player."

Now the two will face off for the second time since Goff was sent to Detroit in exchange for Stafford in 2021 - a move that was the key in L.A. winning Super Bowl LVI.

In that game, Stafford threw for 334 yards and three touchdowns against his old team, while Goff thew for 268 yards, with a score and two interceptions. 

Amon-Ra St. Brown Implores Lions Fans To Do 'Something Crazy' vs. Stafford

Round 2, however, will hold much bigger stakes, and Goff has improved drastically since that time. Fortunately for the Rams, Donald is well aware of what the Rams need to do to try and slow down his old teammate. 

"We know he’s not the most mobile guy, but when he’s got a clean pocket and he's able to make all the right throws, he can do that," Donald said. So we just got to do a great job of finding ways to put pressure on him, make him uncomfortable, and hopefully we get to him.”


Published
Matt Galatzan
MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan the Editor-In-Chief of RamDigest.com. Galatzan graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry under Mike Fisher at DallasBasketball.com in 2014, which at the time was part of the 247Sports network. He also spent two years covering the SMU Mustangs for PonyStampede.com on the 247Sports network. When DallasBasketball.com and CowboysCountry.com moved over to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, Galatzan followed suit, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of LonghornsCountry.com and AllAggies.com a year later. Through the years, Galatzan has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, former Longhorns players Dan Neil and Phil Dawson, and many other recruits, and current/former players for each of the teams he has covered. Galatzan is also a full-time employee in the digital media department for Audacy and KRLD FM's 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, which is the official radio home of the Dallas Cowboys. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels. For any inquiries, please email matt.galatzan@gmail.com