Rams’ Aaron Donald finally gets national spotlight in playoffs

After toiling in relative obscurity for too long, Saturday night could be a playoff coming out party for Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald.

It’s hard for a first-round pick (13th overall in 2014) to avoid spotlight (or scrutiny, in some cases). But starting his career in St. Louis playing on a bad team has done that to Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald, who has earned four Pro Bowl nods in four seasons along with first-team All Pro honors for the third straight year this year.

Donald sat out Week 1 this season, after a prolonged holdout as he seeks a new contract, and he also sat out Week 17 as many Rams’ regulars were rested ahead of the playoffs. But he still had 11 sacks (tied for 11th in the league) in his 14 games, and Pro Football Focus was highly complementary of his work again this year.

The NFC West champion Rams will host the defending NFC champion Atlanta Falcon on Saturday night. Atlanta have a nice running back tandem (Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman), and the league’s 13th-ranked rush offense during the regular season, so Donald, as he usually is, will be a key disruptor on every down for the Rams’ defense..

Atlanta recently downgraded pretty dramatically at left guard, with Andy Levitre suffering a season-ending triceps injury late in the regular season and Ben Garland stepping in for him. But second-team All-Pro center Alex Mack is one of the best at his position as well, and he’ll play a key role in the effort to neutralize Donald. One way or the other, if it’s really possible to contain him, the Falcons have to keep Donald from wrecking their night offensively.

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The prime time playoff stage will be a moment in the spotlight for Donald. Win or lose for the Rams, his time in national anonymity is probably over.