Los Angeles Rams' Aaron Donald Warranting 'Hall of Fame' Focus of Seattle Seahawks QB Geno Smith

“Hall of Fame player, one of the best players ever at his position, and still playing at a high level. Just knowing where he is and then all of their blitz packages," Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith said of Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald.

Jeremy Brener | Nov 18, 2023

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Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks are no strangers to the Los Angeles Rams as NFC West foes, and Geno Smith knows what to expect when the team heads down to SoFi Stadium.

Since becoming the Seahawks' starting quarterback at the beginning of 2022, Smith is 2-1 against the Rams. In his two wins, Donald was injured. In the loss back in Week 1, Donald was active and busy.

“Hall of Fame player, one of the best players ever at his position, and still playing at a high level. Just knowing where he is and then all of their blitz packages," Smith said. "The schematic stuff that they’re great at, they’ve always got some different wrinkles in their defense. Just being able to make adjustments on the sideline or at halftime, and then just going out there and playing our game.”

Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald (99) during the fourth quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at SoFi Stadium. — Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald (99) during the fourth quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at SoFi Stadium / Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Donald, 32, has 37 tackles and 5.5 sacks so far this season. One of those tackles came at the expense of Smith in Week 1, where Donald was fined $16,391 for the hit. It's safe to say that Smith hasn't forgotten that hit.

If Smith and the Seahawks can execute a game plan that limits Donald as much as possible, they can even the season series and move one step closer towards clinching a spot in the postseason in a crowded NFC playoff race.

The Seahawks and Rams are set to face off on Sunday afternoon at SoFi Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:25 p.m. PT and can be watched on CBS.

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Published Nov 18, 2023

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.