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Two guys who could have been playing for the Lions this season -- Nick Fairley, far left, and Aaron Donald, middle -- sack quarterback Matthew Stafford on Sunday.

(AP Photo)

ST. LOUIS -- The Detroit Lions got a glimpse into what could have been.

A long, cold, hard -- and in Matthew Stafford's case, painful -- glimpse.

The Lions could have selected Pitt defensive tackle Aaron Donald 10th overall in last year's draft. With Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley eligible to become free agents at season's end, a lot of people thought they should select him.

They went with tight end Eric Ebron instead.

And Donald, selected 13th overall by the Rams, has made them regret it every day since -- but never more so than on Sunday, when he rolled Stafford for three sacks and six QB hits in a 21-14 win against Detroit (4-9).

"Nothing against (the Lions), but they've had 10 days to prepare for Aaron Donald," Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. "That just shows you the type of player he is. They're double teaming him, he's breaking double teams. We created some one-on-one matchups for him by call design, and when you do that, he usually wins."

The Lions tried all kinds of tactics to handle Donald. Nothing worked.

He beat a double-team from center Travis Swanson and right guard Larry Warford for a sack to blow up Detroit's first drive. He spun past rookie left guard Laken Tomlinson for another sack at the start of the fourth, then beat Swanson one-on-one to drop Stafford once again late in the quarter.

Donald has more sacks than any defensive tackle since he entered the league last year, and leads all interior linemen in 2015 with 11. But even he had never had three sacks in a game before.

"You're supposed to win one-on-ones," Donald said. "That's why they brought me here. When I get one, I'm supposed to win it. I'm just doing my job."

The Rams (5-8) were able to bring him here only because the Lions took a pass on him first.

Detroit thought highly of Donald, a Pitt product, in that 2014 draft. Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said he had no reservations about him whatsoever, and lobbied then-general manager Martin Mayhew to select him.

But others in the room, including offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, were lobbying for Ebron, and Mayhew eventually settled on the latter to detrimental results. Ebron was immature and overmatched as a rookie. Though his production has risen this year, he still has been a massive disappointment. Especially when compared to Donald, who has been the game's best defensive tackle each of his first two seasons according to ProFootballFocus.

"(Donald) is one of my good friends, I'm happy for his success," Ebron insisted after the game. "I'm happy for the scheme he's in, I'm happy they're giving him an opportunity to shine.

"I'm not upset -- you guys are upset. The media's upset, the fans are upset. I don't care. I didn't choose myself, they chose me to come here, so there's nothing I can do about it."

Ebron's role has diminished in recent weeks, as his drops have mounted. He didn't even start against St. Louis. He was thrust into a more prominent role once Brandon Pettigrew left the game with what appeared to be a serious left knee injury.

Even then, playing almost every snap, Ebron had little impact on the game. He finished with three catches for 27 yards.

That's a hard pill for the Lions to swallow -- especially in a game where Donald was swallowing them whole.

"He was an issue," Lions coach Jim Caldwell said. "He made a lot of plays for them quick. Just the type of things you anticipate from him."

NFL: Lions at Rams - Dec. 13, 2015 47 Gallery: NFL: Lions at Rams - Dec. 13, 2015

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