Aaron Donald is entering his 10th season in the NFL, but the Rams defensive tackle has already cemented himself as one of the NFL’s all-time greatest defenders. The 7-time All-Pro and 3-time Defensive Player of the Year has been terrorizing opposing offenses since his arrival to the league in 2014, helping lead the Rams to a Super Bowl title two years ago.
This year, the Rams come into the season with very different expectations after a rather disastrous 2022, but Donald is still there (despite flirtations with retirement) and that means their defensive front still must be given the utmost respect. Opposing quarterbacks know that you have to always be keenly aware of where No. 99 is on the field at all times, because there is nothing worse than seeing him bearing down on you.
Geno Smith knows that and on Sunday afternoon we all learned that even NFL starting quarterbacks have the same terrified reaction that we all would in that situation, as the field mics in Seattle picked up Smith yelling “OH MY GOD” before hurriedly throwing a ball away to avoid getting planted by Donald in the backfield.
Geno Smith yelling “OH MY GOD” as Aaron Donald sprints at him (r @Brook_Weber) pic.twitter.com/Azk1XN9FTn
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) September 10, 2023
This is some truly great television and the NFL is the absolute best when it comes to having mics picking things up on the field. Donald turns the corner on that stunt up front and has no one between him and Smith, and as soon as Geno sees that 99 in free space he can’t help but blurt out what all of us would (well, either that or “oh shit”) and wisely dirts the ball to preserve his health.