When You’ve Faced the Best of the Best, You Know a Game-Changer When You See One
As one of the most decorated players in NFL history, Tom Brady can attest to the numerous standout performances he’s faced in his 10 Super Bowl appearances. Among those, one player stood out as the most difficult to prepare for and contain: the Los Angeles Rams’ Aaron Donald.
In the latest edition of his Verizon mailbag, Brady didn’t hesitate to identify Donald as the most formidable defender he’s battled. “This is an easy one,” he said. “There’s one guy late in my career who I went against who every time we played him, he was an absolute nuisance, and I didn’t get him very often. In fact, he got me a lot. He beat me a lot.”
Despite the New England Patriots’ efforts to contain him in Super Bowl LIII, Donald’s availability made it tough for Brady to find a groove. The game plan was designed to limit his impact, with every play – run or pass – aimed at keeping him from making big plays.
The strategy worked, as Donald recorded just one solo tackle and no sacks, a significant drop-off from his 20.5 regular-season sack total, which earned him Defensive Player of the Year honors. However, it came at a cost, as Brady admitted that the Patriots’ plan affected their ability to score points. “Now, he didn’t make many negative plays. And at the same time, we only scored 13 points in the entire game,” Brady said. “It was one of the hardest games and one of the biggest challenges I ever faced because he forced us to do so many things that we didn’t necessarily want to do from a game plan standpoint.”
Despite the challenges, Brady and his teammates found ways to contain Donald, and their defense bailed them out with a 13-3 victory. Brady attributed their win to their defense’s stellar performance. “Thank God our defense played so great or we wouldn’t have won that game.”
