THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- Aaron Donald felt frustrated, but was hardly concerned.
Sacks, the Los Angeles Rams star defensive tackle said, come in bunches.
But through three weeks, Donald, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year, had yet to take down a quarterback.
“I ain’t worried,” Donald said. And he shouldn’t have been.
Days later, Donald and the Rams’ defensive line let loose in a Week 4 victory over the Minnesota Vikings (1-2-1). They had 17 pressures, according to NFL Next Gen Stats, and sacked quarterback Kirk Cousins four times.
“It's huge,” Rams coach Sean McVay said after the win. “And I think really just the pass rush in general. To be able to get there, to be able to affect and influence the quarterback is something we always talk about.”
The Rams will face dual-threat quarterback Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks (2-2) on Sunday at CenturyLink Field. The mobile Wilson presents a unique challenge in comparison to the other quarterbacks the Rams have faced, but he also has struggled to stay upright this season and has been sacked 16 times.
“We’re going to see a very athletic quarterback that likes to move out of the pocket and wants to throw the ball as well as make plays with his feet,” Ndamukong Suh said. “It’s going to be a big challenge.”
The Rams’ line was considered among the elite, if not the best, in the NFL at the start of the season after Suh signed a one-year, $14 million free-agent contract and Donald agreed to a record-breaking six-year, $135 million extension.
Through three weeks, opponent strategy confirmed that Donald, Suh and former first-round pick Michael Brockers were a feared group, even if the Rams’ stat sheet did not.
Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr and Arizona Cardinals quarterback Sam Bradford hurried to get the ball off in Weeks 1 and 2, as the Rams’ defense put together six consecutive quarters of shutout football and recorded six pressures against Carr and five against Bradford, per NFL Next Gen Stats.
In Week 3, Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers held on to the ball slightly longer as the veteran waited for plays to develop downfield. Suh recorded his first sack, as the line pressured Rivers nine times.
But through three weeks, the defense had only four sacks between Brockers, Suh, lineman Ethan Westbrooks and outside linebacker Samson Ebukam.
Frustration built, though the group remained adamant that they would eventually make it to the quarterback.
Last Thursday, that happened to be Cousins, as he was forced to hold onto the ball with the Vikings trailing late in the game. The defensive line took advantage. Their 17 pressures were a season-best for the group.
“We’re definitely heading in the right direction but we definitely have room for improvement,” Donald said. “We just have to keep getting better and stay hungry, and the sky is the limit.”
All four of the Rams’ sacks against the Vikings came in the fourth quarter. The first, when Donald slipped passed left guard Tom Compton to take down Cousins for a 10-yard loss.
The next series, Suh sacked Cousins for an 8-yard loss.
“We’re getting opportunities,” Suh said. “They were in a position where they had to hold the ball and put it down field, so it was up to us to make sure we got off the field and we found ways to do it.”
On the ensuing series, Donald went by Compton again, and this time threw Cousins to the ground for an 8-yard loss, as Donald stood tall, flexed and pointed to his bicep. And the exclamation point came when rookie John Franklin-Myers, a fourth-round pick from Stephen F. Austin, knocked the ball free from Cousins (The play was recorded as a sack) and Suh recovered. The Rams then ran out the clock to improve to 4-0 on the season.
“It felt good, definitely when you get them in the fourth quarter when we need them,” Donald said. “We left some on the field for sure. We should have had more, but as long as we’re getting them down, we’re going to just keep getting better with time and keep playing with each other.”