Aaron Donald

Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald. (AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo)

The New England Patriots matchup well with the Los Angeles Rams, and should be heavy favorites heading into the game. With the talent on their roster, the Patriots should be well equipped to deal whatever threats the Rams present.

Except Aaron Donald.

The third-year defensive tackle is the exact type of player that can give the Patriots fits: an explosive interior pass rusher that can get into Tom Brady's face quickly and force him to hurry and make mistakes.

The Patriots are well aware of the threat that Donald presents. Speaking to reporters on a conference call Tuesday, Belichick had high praise for Donald, calling him "one of the most disruptive players in the league."

Even when the Patriots are playing well up front, they still have issues with talented interior pass rushers. Just look at last week's game against the New York Jets, when Sheldon Richardson make a habit of slashing into the Patriots backfield and making sure Brady finished passing plays on his back.

The ultimate example of this is the Seahawks' Michael Bennett, who was a force to be reckoned in Super Bowl XLIX. Usually, the Patriots' solution to this problem is to play with fire, putting up with the interior rushers and relying on Brady to get the ball out quickly (sometimes with split-second decisions) before a defender comes crashing down on him.

Donald can do that like few players in the league. There were concerns about his size when he entered the league (he's just 6-foot-1, 285 pounds), but he's since brushed those aside. Scouts knew he'd be fast, but they didn't know that he'd also be throwing around NFL linemen that have 30 pounds on him.

And he will throw them:

Won't show up on the stat sheet, but Donald tosses Armstead into the RB here. Being both a frontside & backside force vs the run is rare. pic.twitter.com/4eIb9LM4uz — Brandon Thorn (@BrandonThornNFL) November 29, 2016

Many players in the NFL have power like that. However, they're rarely the same guys that flash in like a lightning bolt, blowing up plays from the backside.

Case in point:

Aaron Donald is a mutant pic.twitter.com/nMLc6mKIz8 — Brandon Thorn (@BrandonThornNFL) November 29, 2016

Here's Belichick's full comment on Donald, in which the Patriots coach gets into the minutia of what makes a player like him stand out in the NFL:

The Patriots will have a tall task Sunday in blocking Donald. Either the offensive line steps up, or at some point, Brady will get eaten alive like Cam Newton did on this play.