Ravens C Matt Skura No Stranger To Matching Up Against Aaron Donald

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — No one needs to tell Matt Skura about the brute power of Aaron Donald.

The Ravens’ center has been studying film of the Rams All-Pro defensive lineman all week, but Skura recalled playing against him in 2013 while Skura was at Duke and Donald was at Pitt.

“I remember one play. … He tackled our quarterback and running back at the same time,” Skura said as he prepared for practice Nov. 21. “And I was like, ‘All right, this guy’s pretty legit.’ … And he’s gotten bigger and faster and stronger since then.”

The Ravens (8-2), winners of six straight, visit Donald and the Rams (6-4) for a “Monday Night Football” matchup in Los Angeles Nov. 25.

The Ravens are challenging for the No. 1 seed in the AFC, while the Rams are trying to keep their flagging playoff hopes alive. The Rams have won three of their past four after a three-game losing streak.

Led by Donald, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year, the Rams’ defense represents one of the toughest challenges yet for quarterback Lamar Jackson and the Ravens’ running game, which leads the league and is on a historic pace. The Ravens are averaging 203.8 rushing yards a game; no team since the NFL adopted a 16-game schedule in 1978 has averaged 200 rushing yards for an entire season.

The Rams rank fifth against the run, yielding 89.1 yards a game, and 10th overall. They have 29 sacks, which ranks tied for ninth in the league.

Donald has 35 tackles and a team-high eight sacks.

“The skill that he possesses to get off the ball, and his athleticism, is just unreal,” Skura said. “He plays hard every single snap, from the first snap all the way to the last one.”

The Ravens, though, are quick to point out that the Rams’ defensive front doesn’t end with Donald, described by Ravens coach John Harbaugh as “a game-wrecker.”

“It’s not just him,” Harbaugh said. “Dante Fowler’s pretty good. [Defensive end] Michael Brockers is pretty good. And that nose guard from Rutgers [Sebastian Joseph-Day] is pretty darn good, too. … I think they are really talented.”

Jackson concurred.

“The front four are crazy,” Jackson said.

Jackson noted that the Rams also added All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey this year and have former Ravens safety Eric Weddle now patrolling the back end of the defense. Weddle ranked second on the team with 72 tackles.

On the prospect of facing Weddle, who knows the Ravens offense as well as any opponent and prides himself on the ability to confuse the opposing quarterback, Jackson said, “I just gotta play football, be alert at all times on the field, just find [No.] 32.”

NOTEBOOK

PETERS READY TO FACE FORMER TEAM: Cornerback Marcus Peters has had an immediate impact with the Ravens, with a pair of interception return touchdowns in four games since he was acquired via midseason trade from the Rams.

Now Peters will return to Los Angeles to face the team he played for last season and the first part of this year, and he said he’s ready to match wits with quarterback Jared Goff and Rams coach Sean McVay.

“Sean is an excellent offensive coordinator, so he’s going to come out with some different stuff,” Peters said. “We just got to be prepared to match it up. It’s going to be a fun game, though. It’s going to be good to see the guys out there and good to compete against them.”

JACKSON, FOUR OTHER RAVENS TOP PRO BOWL VOTING: Lamar Jackson leads all players in Pro Bowl voting according to totals released by the league Nov. 20, and four other Ravens also lead the AFC at their respective positions.

Jackson, who has led the Ravens to six straight wins and is among the front-runners for the league Most Valuable Player Award, has totaled 146,171 votes. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes ranks second at 116,325, followed by Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (115,370).

“I’ve seen that,” Jackson said. “I’m not really worried about the Pro Bowl vote. I’m trying to win games. … The Pro Bowl, if it happens, it happens. But I want to go to the Super Bowl.”

In addition to Jackson, other Ravens leading AFC vote-getters at their respective positions include guard Marshal Yanda, tackle Orlando Brown Jr., cornerback Marcus Peters and kicker Justin Tucker.

Online fan voting continues through Dec. 12. Voting of fans, coaches and players each count one-third toward determining the 88 Pro Bowl picks. The Pro Bowl teams will be announced Dec. 17.

FIVE MISS PRACTICE, PIERCE RETURNS: Defensive lineman Michael Pierce returned to practice after missing practice all last week and the game against the Houston Texans with an ankle injury. Five players missed the Nov. 21 workout, though several could have been receiving a veteran day off. Absent were guard Marshal Yanda, tackle Ronnie Stanley, cornerback Jimmy Smith, safety Earl Thomas and cornerback Brandon Carr.

Photo Credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox

Bo Smolka

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