At some point during Saturday’s NFC divisional playoff game at Lambeau Field, Aaron Donald will get too close for comfort to Aaron Rodgers. The Rams defensive lineman will undoubtedly put a hit on the Packers quarterback, and Donald might even say, “I’ll be back’’ as Rodgers picks himself off the near-frozen turf.

“The Terminator will be ready,’’ Rams head coach Sean McVay predicted.

Is Aaron Donald ever not ready?

For the Rams to keep playing after this weekend, McVay’s nickname for his defensive star will have to come to fruition on the field, as terminating Rodgers will be no easy feat. It is expected to be in the low 30s in Green Bay, Wis., with snow showers likely. Rams quarterback Jared Goff will have to get a grip, literally, playing in the cold despite a surgically repaired right thumb as the Rams, coming off an impressive 30-20 upset win at Seattle in the wild-card round, will look to secure an even bigger upset against the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

Rodgers, in a season that figures to land him his third NFL MVP award (and his first since 2014), tossed 48 touchdown passes in leading the Packers to a record of 13-3 and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Donald, the best player on the other side of the field, will have to dominate even more than usual for the Rams to have a shot.

“He’s a great quarterback that’s playing lights out this year,” Donald said. “He’s making some great throws and good decisions. Obviously, he can do things with his feet, not the fastest guy, but he can move. He can get away from you and make things happen, so we have to do a great job as far as bottling him up, getting pressure on him, and not letting him have a clean pocket to the point where he can make all those great throws. So, we have a challenge, but that’s what you expect in a playoff game.”

Normally, one defensive player cannot match the impact of a great quarterback. But Donald is not your normal defender. He had 13.5 sacks this past season, along with four forced fumbles, 45 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and 27 quarterback hits. In his seven-year career (110 games) he has 85.5 sacks, 19 forced fumbles, 247 solo tackles and 200 quarterback hits. There is nothing he cannot do and nothing he has not done.

Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman, while calling last week’s game for Fox, noted he played against Lawrence Taylor and Reggie White, but called Donald the greatest defensive player he has ever seen.

Hyperbole? Maybe, maybe not. There is no doubt the Rams follow Donald’s lead. They came out of the 2020 season leading the league in defensive efficiency, yards allowed and points allowed. They will need every bit of that defensive firepower to deal with Rodgers and the Packers in the winter elements.

“I wouldn’t mind it as long as it’s not too much snow,’’ Donald said. “I haven’t played in a snow game since I was about 7 years old. So, it’s been a long time. Those types of games, you know it’s going to be a dog fight. So, I wouldn’t mind that, but as long as we are still able to do what we need to do out there, guys still flying around, it’d be different, but we’d be fine.’’

Donald is dealing with a rib issue that knocked him out in the third quarter of the victory over the Seahawks when quarterback Russell Wilson landed on the lineman’s side.

Donald said there was pain after Wilson fell on him and “it just felt like I got the wind knocked out of me.’’ He was still sore at mid-week.

“I’m not going to go out there if I feel like I can’t help these guys win,’’ Donald said. “I’m not too worried about it.”

Rather than dwelling on his own discomfort, Donald prefers to inflict in on others, especially quarterbacks. Rodgers has started seven times in NFC divisional games and has 16 touchdown passes and four interceptions. His passer rating of 101.5 is excellent, of course, but a slight downtick from some of his regular-season exploits.

“You’re just trying to find ways to affect him,’’ Donald said. “If that’s quarterback hits, in his face, chasing him around, not letting him be comfortable, we’re doing our job. But if you let him sit in the pocket, you let him move around comfortably, sit on the field and make things happen, it can be a long day for us. We have to do our job as pass rushers and as a defensive line, as far as affecting in all different types of ways and not letting it be an easy day for him.”