Over the last decade or so, the 49ers have dreaded coming face-to-face with Aaron Donald during his time with the Los Angeles Rams.
And apparently, the feeling was mutual -- at least during his last couple of NFL seasons.
Donald, who announced his retirement from the NFL last month after haunting O-lines and opposing quarterbacks for 10 seasons, recently explained why he didn't look forward to matchups with San Francisco while listing the three teams who always had the best game plan for him.
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"And then the last two years, I think the 49ers did a good job of keeping me out the game," Donald said on the "Green Light Podcast" (h/t LAFB Network). "If that’s running the ball away from me or just keeping things away to the point where you know you even trying to chase things down from the backside or just trying to find ways to to to get the one-on-ones.
"And when you do get the 1-on-1s, they can get the ball out quick."
As NFC West rivals, the 49ers saw plenty of Donald and the Rams over the years. The 10-time Pro Bowler recorded 77 combined tackles, 12.5 sacks and one fumble recovery in 18 regular-season games against San Francisco.
Donald and the Rams also defeated the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game during the 2021 season en route to a Super Bowl championship.
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But over the last three seasons, Donald posted zero sacks and just 2.8 pressures per game against the 49ers.
While the 49ers -- and several other teams around the league -- certainly are glad they no longer have to be tormented by Donald since his retirement announcement, Donald, too, no longer has to worry about the red and gold.
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