Denver Broncos right guard Quinn Meinerz is one of the NFL’s premier offensive linemen.
The 27-year-old is a mauler in the running game and an immovable object in the passing game. The battle between him and Rams star defensive lineman Aaron Donald was bound to be a fun one to watch on Sunday night, and it certainly didn’t disappoint.
By the end of the contest, it was clear which player had the better night. Meinerz was on top (both figuratively and literally) more often than not.
Despite drawing the extremely difficult matchup against the best interior perpetrator of this generation, he didn’t allow a single pressure against Los Angeles. How did he do it? Well, according to the NFL, he obviously must have cheated!
Meinerz took to Instagram to post a text he received this morning that reads as follows:
Quinn this is Christian on behalf of the NFL and Drug Free Sport. You have been selected to complete a Performance Enhancing Substance (PES) test today. You must complete your test prior to the start of afternoon team activities. Please bring your government issued ID or team ID.
Could this be a precursor to a potential Quinn Meinerz suspension? Maybe. However, with him posting it on his social media.. something tells me that’s not where this one is going to go.
Quinn Meinerz Neutralized Aaron Donald On Sunday Night
Meinerz looked like a man among boys in Denver’s 30-26 victory on Sunday night. That’s saying a lot with a future Hall of Famer on the other side of the line of scrimmage.
Not only did he not allow a single pressure across Denver’s 35 passing attempts, but 11 of those attempts came against Donald. Eight of them were one-on-one assignments. He also completely threw the 8-time All-Pro out of the club on one highlight play (that could one day be played at his Hall of Fame induction if he continues on his current trajectory).
Donald finished the game with only one assisted tackle across his 33 defensive snaps. It was as close to a shut-out as possible. The Broncos didn’t exactly run the ball well (25 attempts for 78 yards), but Los Angeles’ usually ferocious defensive line sacked quarterback Bo Nix only once all night.
Meinerz Is A Linchpin Of The Broncos’ Top-Ranked O-Line
At this point, Meinerz’s dominant performance shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. It probably didn’t catch Donald off guard.
The 27-year-old has developed into a stone wall since being selected in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Division III University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Meinerz and left tackle Garrett Bolles Jr. deserve their flowers for how well the unit has performed. You could make a strong case that they’re two of the league’s most dominant big men regardless of position.
The Broncos tied for the fewest sacks allowed (23) across the league last season, and they’ve picked up right where they left off over the past two weeks. Nix has only been sacked once since the Monday night debacle in Kansas City.
Nevertheless, the league office clearly didn’t see Meinerz’s performance coming. Maybe they’ll show him some more respect next time the two teams square off.
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