Getty Aaron Donald smiles as he warms up before the Thursday, October 7, road contest against Seattle.
Aaron Donald now has a franchise record.
At the 3:29 mark of the third quarter, plus with Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson trying to evade the pressure, as he’s done masterfully throughout his career, Donald accomplished something he’s done masterfully on his end: Collect a sack.
But the sack on Thursday Night Football in Week 5 officially put him in the Los Angeles Rams record book.
.@AaronDonald97 is now the Rams’ all-time leader in sacks! 🔥 #RamsHouse
📺: #LARvsSEA on NFLN/FOX/PRIME VIDEO
📱: NFL App
That sack on 3rd-and-5 gave “A.D” sack No. 88.5 — placing him at first all-time in Rams history.
Granted, the sack didn’t become an official stat until 1982 and Deacon Jones is believed to have more career sacks despite playing in an era where a sack was counted as just a tackle. Donald, though, said getting the record leaves him blessed.
“That felt good. It’s a blessing,” Donald told reporters following the Rams’ 26-17 road win, which can be heard near the 24:30 mark of the postgame presser video. “It’s even better when you accomplish something like that and you’re coming off of a division win. We found a way to win on the road.”
Who Held the Previous Franchise Mark?
Leonard Little held the title of the Rams’ top sack leader according to Pro Football Reference and the Rams’ team website.
The 46-year-old Little played his entire career with the Rams, all in St. Louis, and went on to snatch 87.5 career sacks between 1998 to 2009.
Little was on the Rams’ Super Bowl-winning team of 2000, though he only played six games that season. Two seasons later, however, Little emerged as the Rams’ top pass rusher with 14.5 sacks as the Rams secured the NFC title.
Donald and Little are the only Rams who went on to surpass the 80-sack mark in Rams franchise history. Third on the list is the late Kevin Greene at 72.5. Kevin Carter is fourth on the list with 62.5 and Robert Quinn followed with 62.5.
Of the 88.5 sacks Donald has snatched, he’s grabbed 16 in 16 career games versus the NFC West rival Seahawks. That includes the two he had in the 30-20 NFC Wildcard playoff win in January 2021.
He also has these accolades against the Seahawks.
Aaron Donald career vs Seattle:
🔹 94.8 Pass-rushing grade (highest)
🔹 99 QB pressures
🔹 5 games with 2+ sacks
And the congratulations started with the Rams’ Twitter account:
🚨 AARON DONALD BREAKS THE FRANCHISE SACK RECORD 🚨
Plus, the Rams made this their pinned tweet seen here.
Donald’s Impact in the TNF Battle
How much of a presence did Donald command? For starters, he drew double teams. Literally.
The only way to stop Aaron Donald
(via @NFL)
Donald was equally impactful outside of the pass rush. Captured here by DLine Vids, Donald keeps his hips squared, extends his arms violently and places his hands on the numbers of Damien Lewis, gaining the upper hand as he helps clog the lane and forces the turnover on downs.
Donald finished his night with seven total tackles including five solo stops and the sack. He additionally stuffed two plays behind the line of scrimmage and batted one pass, which was this one that forced Russell Wilson out of the game.
Russell Wilson’s finger 🤢
After the win, head coach Sean McVay rewarded two game balls on the night. The first one going to Robert Woods, who caught 12 passes for 150 yards. The other? The newest sack leader in Rams history, who also did the “Family” break afterward.
“We said we’re going to find a way, and you guys did that!”
Coach breaks us down after a Week 5 win! 👏
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Aaron Donald Breaks a Rams Record in Win Over Seahawks