5 best players the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will face in 2020

Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs, opponent of the Buccaneers (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images)
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs, opponent of the Buccaneers (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images) /
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Aaron Donald, Los Angeles Rams, opponent of the Buccaneers (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
Aaron Donald, Los Angeles Rams, opponent of the Buccaneers (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

Aaron Donald

Player #2 and player #1 are almost interchangeable on this list. Both are the consensus best players in the NFL, with the only difference being their side of the ball.

Aaron Donald is easily the best defensive player in the league. A perpetual lock for the All-Pro team for the remainder of his career, Donald is one of the best pass-rushers in the NFL and is consistently double-teamed.

The Buccaneers can throw any number of blockers at Donald, but that doesn’t mitigate his impact. If Tampa Bay uses two blockers to slow down Donald (notice that says slow down and not neutralize), it will only free up other pass-rushers for an easier shot at Tom Brady.

One of Donald’s best traits is his ability to line up at multiple positions across the defensive line without limiting his impact. From anywhere on the inside or coming off the edge, Aaron Donald can find a way to the quarterback better than anyone in the NFL.

Donald had one of his slowest games against the Buccaneers in 2019, but one has to think that his stat line that day was an anomaly, and Tom Brady will have to play with his head on a swivel when the Buccaneers match up with the LA Rams in 2020.