Ten days after the Rams collapsed late against the 49ers in their regular-season finale, and 48 hours after they demolished the Cardinals in their playoff opener, Aaron Donald opened his patio door and began a conversation with his parents. It was, like Donald himself, brief, detailed and precise, hitting with the force of a lightning bolt. He laid out the other contenders the Rams might face in the coming weeks. He knew that, if they managed to beat Tampa Bay on the road, they were more likely to clash with Green Bay (seeded first) than San Francisco, their NFC West nemesis and a team L.A. had not beaten since 2018.
Donald stood in the doorway, addressing his father, Archie. He said the Rams would topple the Bucs and smirked at the match-up he really wanted after that. “Dad, I want nothing else,” he said, “I want to go through the 49ers.” His eyes narrowed as he said that, smirk vanishing into something like a glare. Then he shut the door so hard it clanked and walked off. “Like the younger generation says, he dropped the mic,” Archie says with a laugh.
His son left so quickly he never did hear his father’s warning. Be careful what you wish for, now.
