Los Angeles Rams: Aaron Donald is the ultimate equalizer against Chiefs

The Los Angeles Rams and Kansas City Chiefs square off on Monday night in the most anticipated NFL game of the year. Aaron Donald will be the difference.

The Los Angeles Rams host the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football in Week 11 in what is the most anticipated NFL matchup of recent memory.

Just two weeks ago, the then-undefeated Rams traveled to New Orleans to take on the Saints and were ultimately handed their first loss. That game was just as heavily anticipated as this game and delivered one of the most entertaining games of the season.

The Chiefs-Rams matchup in Week 11 has even more hype around it than the Rams-Saints game from earlier in the year, in large part due to the intrigue and storyline around the game.

As you probably know by now, this game was initially set to take place in Mexico City, Mexico. However, terrible field conditions prompted the NFL to think about its players’ safety and move the game to Los Angeles. The Rams were the hosting team in the contest.

That seemingly would have given the Rams a natural advantage but there will arguably be more Chiefs fans in LA than there would have been in Mexico. We always see how big they turn out against the Chargers and this heavily-anticipated matchup should be no different.

Either way, it will not be the crowd that makes the difference in the game. Loud and raucous crowds are certainly a factor but this crowd will not be particularly loud or raucous on either side.

Instead, the biggest difference will be made by the area that struggled so much and allowed the Saints to win, the pass-rush. In particular, Aaron Donald is going to be the huge difference maker.

The Rams did not get to Drew Brees once in that game because of the Saints impressive performance on the offensive line and Brees’ ability to get rid of the ball fast when needed. Patrick Mahomes possesses similar traits and even has the ability to evade the pocket and extend plays in his back pocket.

To keep such a stellar quarterback at bay the defense needs an elite guy that can at least weather the storm. Luckily for LA, the Rams have the best defensive player in Aaron Donald who, despite the overall defensive woes, has been phenomenal this season.

These are two offensive-minded teams that are going to score until the clock runs out. It is hard to differentiate much between the two teams because of the elite offenses and rather concerning defenses.

However, what the Rams have that the Chiefs don’t is a playmaker like Donald that can consistently disrupt the quarterback.

Aaron Donald’s performance will decide this game. If he has a classic great Aaron Donald performance then the Los Angeles Rams will walk away victorious. If not, then the Chiefs might become the second team to beat the Rams.