Aaron Donald showed his true value to the Rams on Saturday

Everyone is well aware of the impact that Aaron Donald has each week. You only need to look at his stats to realize he’s one of the league’s best pass rushers year in and year out. He had 12.5 sacks and a league-high 98 pressures this season, emerging as the favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year for a third time.

But on Saturday against the Packers, his value to the Rams was never clearer.

Donald was battling torn rib cartilage coming into this one, an injury he suffered last week against the Seahawks. He played just 39 of the defense’s 72 snaps, way below his average of about 84% during the regular season.

And when he was on the field, he wasn’t nearly as effective as he typically is. He finished the game with one tackle and zero pressures, one of his worst performances of the season. It’s impossible to blame him for his lack of production, either.

He did everything he could to be on the field against the Packers, but it was clear he just wasn’t healthy. Sean McVay even said after the game that Donald wasn’t on a snap count by the team, but it was something that the All-Pro defensive tackle had to feel out for himself.

So, he took himself out of the game a number of times, simply because he couldn’t play the way he’s accustom to. His teammates knew it, too. Andrew Whitworth could see he was battling, but just wasn’t his usual self.

With Donald clearly ailing and not dominating like he often does, the Rams defense as a whole struggled. Aaron Rodgers threw for 296 yards and two touchdowns, the Packers rushed for 188 yards as a team and there was very little the Rams defense could do to stop them.

In total, the Rams landed one hit on Rodgers. This is a team that came in averaging more than four sacks per game in their last three, and a team that ranked second in the NFL in sacks during the regular season.

Yet, with Donald missing 33 plays and struggling on the snaps that he did take, the pass rush was almost non-existent. Some of that comes down to Rodgers getting rid of it quickly and decisively. But at the same time, the pass rush just didn’t get home nearly enough.

To get a sense of Donald’s impact, look at this chart showing how often defensive tackles win pass-rush reps and get double-teamed. Donald is in his own world, and it’s no wonder the defense struggled without that version of No. 99 available Saturday.

Donald will probably never win NFL MVP. It’s too much of a quarterback-led award. But he showed just how valuable he is to the Rams for what he didn’t do on Saturday. This is a different defense when he’s not 100% healthy and it was painfully evident against the Packers.

Fortunately, the Rams don’t have to worry about life without Donald much, as he’s one of the most durable players in football. He’s never missed a game due to injury and this playoff tilt wasn’t going to be his first.

The Rams defense is still outstanding even without Donald, but it wouldn’t rank No. 1 if not for him. We got a taste of that on Saturday.