The 8-5 Seattle Seahawks and the 9-5 division-leading Los Angeles Rams face off for the second time this season Sunday, with the fate of the NFC West hanging in the balance.
The battle between quarterback Russell Wilson and defensive tackle Aaron Donald will likely go a long way toward deciding the matchup, and Wilson had high praise for his star opponent Thursday.
"When I think about Aaron Donald, he's probably, in my opinion, the best defensive player I've ever played against in terms of actually playing in a game against," Wilson said, according to Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times. "That's a pretty big statement; I've played against some really good guys. I think back to my rookie year and my second year when I played against guys like (NaVorro) Bowman and (Patrick) Willis and all of those guys are in my head, the top guys I've ever played.
"I think about a guy like Aaron Donald, he's definitely there too as well, so I have tremendous respect for how he plays the game. He's really, really tough, he's really quick, and he's pretty special. You look forward to those matchups just because those are things that you'll remember and those are the things that you'll tell your kids one day, 'I played against this guy,' and those are fun things. He's definitely one of those guys that will probably be a Hall of Famer no doubt."
Donald is in the midst of another outstanding campaign with the upstart Rams. He has racked up eight sacks and 34 total tackles in 12 games and ranks as Pro Football Focus' top interior defender by a significant margin.
Meanwhile, Wilson is almost single-handedly keeping the injury-ravaged Seahawks in the playoff race - though he'll be looking to bounce back from a season-worst performance against the vaunted Jacksonville Jaguars defense.
But, as the quarterback noted, it will probably be a tough task with Donald wreaking havoc and collapsing the pocket all game long.
