Three reasons the Rams are bigger Super Bowl favorites after Aaron Donald signing

Aaron Donald, Myles Garrett will form an elite pass-rushing tandem 

The Rams acquired Garrett in an offseason trade with the Cleveland Browns, a move that clearly convinced Donald to unretire. Garrett didn't push Donald to return, but he made it clear he was open to the idea. He posted a picture of an autographed Donald jersey to his Instagram story in July.

Now, Garrett doesn't have to post any more not-so-subtle social media messages, and the tandem can focus on sacking quarterbacks. It should do that plenty. 

Per Pro-Football-Reference, 2017 first-round pick Garrett ranks third among active players in career sacks (125.5), behind New Orleans Saints D-lineman Cameron Jordan (132) and Dallas Cowboys linebacker Von Miller (138.5). Donald had logged 111 sacks before his first retirement, which would put him at No. 8 on that list, behind Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Khalil Mack (113) and ahead of free-agent linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul (94.5).

Two-time Defensive Player of the Year Garrett will also draw fewer double-teams with the addition of three-time DPOY Donald, giving him a chance to reach his goal of 25 sacks in a season, which would break the NFL record. He already owns that mark after recording 23 in 17 games with the Browns last season. 

Aaron Donald should be an immediate contributor

Donald's age, 35, is a concern for the D-lineman, but his production during the 2023 season offsets that. That year, he tied for 10th in the NFL in tackles for loss (16 in 16 regular-season games), earning his eighth first-team All-Pro nod. 

Although Donald didn't play over the past two seasons, he didn't stop working out. During this span, he would occasionally pop into the Rams facility for a quick lift. That's why head coach Sean McVay is confident the star defender can make an immediate impact for the Rams. 

"If Aaron wants to dust them off at the age of 35, I bet you he could still do it at a pretty high clip," the coach said in June. 

Aaron Donald brings a championship pedigree 

Donald was imperative in the Rams' last Super Bowl run during the 2021 season. He logged 12.5 sacks in 17 regular-season games, tied for the third most in his career. In a 23-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI, the D-lineman had two sacks and made the game-sealing play when he forced QB Joe Burrow to throw it away on a 4th-and-1 late in the fourth quarter.

The Rams need players they can count on in big moments, especially with a daunting schedule. Tankathon rates it as the third-most-difficult in the NFL.

The slate features matchups with the Seattle Seahawks, the defending Super Bowl champions, in Weeks 16 and 18. L.A. may need Donald to deliver again in those NFC West tilts to avoid losing the division and home-field advantage in the playoffs.

The Rams finished 12-5 last season but lost to Seattle 38-37 in overtime in Week 16. Seattle subsequently finished 14-3, clinching the No. 1 seed in the NFC. It beat L.A. again 31-27 in the NFC Championship Game. Things may have been different if the Rams won the Week 16 affair. Perhaps they will be now that Donald is back in the fold.