Rams-Cardinals carries huge Defensive Player of the Year implications

Aaron Donald and Chandler Jones are both vying for Defensive Player of the Year, and Sunday’s matchup could decide it.

Neither the Los Angeles Rams nor the Arizona Cardinals will be playing for a postseason berth on Sunday afternoon when they square off at the Coliseum, but the game will carry some meaning for two players, in particular.

Aaron Donald and Chandler Jones are both chasing NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors, which they both have a chance to win. Stephon Gilmore has leapfrogged to the top of the contenders list recently, picking off two passes with one pick-six against the Bengals in Week 15, but both Donald and Jones are in the running.

Jones has made a late push for the award, sacking Russell Wilson four times last week to give him a league-high 19 sacks on the year. He also tops the NFL with eight forced fumbles and made his third career Pro Bowl.

According to the odds at Bovada, Gilmore is the odds-on favorite to win, followed by Jones and Donald. Needless to say, Sunday’s game between the Rams and Cardinals will play a huge role in the winner of the NFL’s most coveted defensive award.

If Jones goes out and sacks Jared Goff four times to set the single-season sacks record with 23, he’ll have a good chance to jump Gilmore as the favorite – depending on what the Patriots corner does against Miami. If Donald has a huge performance against the Cardinals offensive line and stuffs the stat sheet with multiple sacks, a few tackles for loss and a turnover or two forced, he’ll also improve his chances of winning.

So in actuality, Donald may need help from his offensive line in order to win Defensive Player of the Year for the third straight season. Go figure.

Jones has gone seven straight games with at least a half-sack and only has three games of the 15 he’s played without a sack. It’s a good bet that he’ll have at least one, but the Rams offensive line has to prevent him from breaking Strahan’s record with a second straight four-sack performance.

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