There was a point in the Los Angeles Rams' 38-31 victory over the Vikings in 2018 when Troy Aikman laughed at the ease with which Aaron Donald can turn professional guards into Keystone Kops.
"Donald gets past Mike Remmers before he even gets out of his stance!" the Hall of Famer turned analyst marveled when Donald exploded from his three-technique position, swam by Remmers and dropped Latavius Murray for no gain as Remmers whirled in the wake before landing on his backside 4 yards behind the line of scrimmage.
Vikings coach Mike Zimmer was asked this week about that relatively nondescript play as a classic example of a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year's rare ability to obliterate. Zimmer's current team — 7-7, clinging to the NFC's last playoff spot and sans Dalvin Cook (reserve/COVID-19) — faces the Rams (10-4) at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday in the first meeting since Donald put a red-hot Kirk Cousins down for good in that prime-time shootout in L.A. three years ago.
Sometimes, the reporter said to Zimmer, Donald's dominance looks like some sort of lopsided matchup you'd see at the high school level.
"Yeah," Zimmer said, "unfortunately it does."
Then what's the antidote for this six-time first-team All-Pro game-wrecker?
"Well," Zimmer said, "there's things you have to try to do. It's not that you can do it all the time. There's things we can try to do, but I won't go into it."
Whatever they are, they better work. Avoiding back-to-back non-playoff seasons for the first time in the Zimmer era could depend on the game plan for No. 99.