Can Rams continue to win without Aaron Donald?

The Rams survived and then thrived in their first campaign without Aaron Donald

Any team in the NFL would be better with Aaron Donald, but only the Los Angeles Rams had him, and when he left it was fair to wonder last offseason if the team could still contend at a high level? In their first season without the future Hall of Famer, the Rams showed with a certainty that they can compete without Donald.

The Rams posted the same 10-7 record as the year before, but also won in the postseason this time.

Now will L.A. be able to truly thrive as they go into Year 2 without AD?

On the offensive side of the ball, head coach Sean McVay showed growth and proved he can turnaround a team who starts their season 1-4, and mold them into a unit that can win a playoff game. He also took a big step forward by turning his offense into a slow-paced methodical machine. If McVay can combine his time of possession prowess with the explosiveness of his early days in L.A., this offense could be atop the league.

McVay also coached up his team to play in the cold against the New York Jets and Philadelphia Eagles, plus the rain filled slog versus the San Francisco 49ers late in the season. Overall, the still young man continues to evolve in all aspects of being an NFL head coach.

It’s fair to say others around the league want a taste of whatever McVay is cooking.

On the defensive side, Chris Shula was a revelation in his first year as a defensive coordinator even without AD, while Les Snead may have found another stud in Jared Verse. As Donald goes out, Verse comes in.

Verse has a long way to go in his young career, but things are looking very promising after an outstanding rookie campaign and he’s not alone.

Fellow rookie Braden Fiske had 8.5 sacks and 10 TFL, which are comparable to Donald’s rookie totals of 9 sacks and 18 TFL, and Kobie Turner now has 17 sacks and 29 QB hits through his first two seasons.

No single player is going to be as good as Donald (Donald had 22 TFL, 37 QB hits in just his second season alone), but the collective of those three plus Byron Young (7.5 sacks in 2024) is impressive enough to think that the entire defense is more well-rounded than it was in the previous decade.

Even L.A.’s special teams under Chase Blackburn showed vast improvement after being one of the worst in the league last year.

Joshua Karty also may be the kicker that the Rams have been looking for. Let’s not forget Ethan Evans who is becoming a top punter in the sport. Karty and Evans form a special under-25 duo for L.A.’s special teams’ unit.

L.A. did come up short in their latest playoff run, but they took the Eagles down to the wire. We all know it’s Philly who is going to the Super Bowl and not the Rams, however the Rams were potentially a go-ahead score away from knocking off one of the top teams in the league.

Even without Donald, they were right outside the door of McVay getting to his third NFC Championship game since joining L.A.

There should be a belief in the fanbase and around the organization that this team has what it takes to continue to contend. The Rams have shown they can have success in their first year without AD. Can the Rams now go on and show that it wasn’t fluke? That’s their next challenge.