It was the play that ended the Bengals’ hopes and the Rams’ radio voices were on it
The Los Angeles Rams had to stop the Cincinnati Bengals to earn a Super Bowl 56 victory Sunday at SoFi Stadium.
They needed a forceful play from their defense. One person was right for the job, the best defensive player in the NFL: Aaron Donald.
Give a listen as the Rams’ radio team gets to describe as the defensive force corrals Joe Burrow and forces the second-year Bengals quarterback into a while throw.
The ball was near running back Semaje Perine but the former Oklahoma star could not grab it.
Minutes later, the Rams were Super Bowl champions. The Los Angeles Rams have won their first Super Bowl.
The Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle has been the best defender in the game for a long time — and, you could argue, one of the best players, period. All that was missing for him was a ring.
On Sunday, in the Super Bowl win over the Cincinnati Bengals, he stepped up in a HUGE way, sacking Joe Burrow twice to go along with two tackles for a loss. That second sack, though? It was the game-clincher, with Burrow facing 4th-and-1 to keep the comeback effort going with his team down three.
After the game, Donald delivered a tearful interview that was just amazing:
The noteworthy thing, beyond the emotion? He sidestepped any talk of retirement, which popped up pre-game with Rodney Harrison reporting that Donald could call it quits if the Rams won.
Well, it looks like Donald will have a decision coming up because his clutch play down the stretch got it done for the Rams in their 23-20 Super Bowl 56 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
With 43 seconds left in the game, the Bengals were faced with a fourth-and-one play to extend the game. And that was when Donald blew up the playcall and got to Joe Burrow, forcing him into a wild, desperate throw that fell incomplete.
After the turnover on downs, Donald ran towards the end zone and pointed at his ring finger in celebration. Rams play-by-play announcer J.B. Long had a great call of the moment.
Trey Hopkins doesn’t let Aaron Donald’s hit on Joe Burrow slide.
In the biggest football game of the year, and likely the biggest sporting event of the year, a former Longhorn has become one of the most talked about aspects of the game.
He doesn’t play a skill position, and certainly isn’t a quarterback, but Cincinnati Bengals center Trey Hopkins is still a popular subject on Twitter. The reason being becauseĀ of the extracurricular activities he got himself into with one of football’s most feared players in Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald.
Early in the third quarter of Super Bowl 56, Bengals quarterback Joe (Shiesty) Burrow was left with no options and seemed to be running out of bounds to avoid getting hit. The only issue being the fact that Donald gave him quite the assist as he launched Burrow out of bounds.
This led to Hopkins pushing and causing somewhat of a skirmish between the whole Bengals offensive line and Donald.
There wouldn’t be much more for the 30-year-old to accomplish in the NFL.
Aaron Donald has only needed eight seasons to put together an NFL Hall of Fame-worthy resume. He’s a seven-time first-team All-Pro, was Defensive Rookie of the Year the one season he wasn’t a first-team honoree, and has three Defensive Player of the Pear awards on his mantle. The only thing missing is the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
So if he’s crowned a world champion Sunday by toppling the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl 56, it could be enough to convince him to hang up his cleats. Donald, the heart of the Los Angeles Rams’ pass rush and one of the most disruptive players in the NFL, could retire after a Super Bowl win according to NBC analyst Rodney Harrison.
Rodney Harrison just said on NBC's pregame show that Aaron Donald told him there's a strong possibility he could retire if the #Rams win the Super Bowl. Video is below: pic.twitter.com/tIhAzQCwWv
“He’s big on legacy,” two-time NFL champ Harrison told viewers during NBC’s pre-game show. “He doesn’t want to be known as a defender who accomplished so many individual things but never won a Super Bowl. He also told me this: if he wins a Super Bowl, there’s a strong possibility he could walk away from the game and retire.”
It would be a surprising move, but an understandable one. Donald has played 136 career games heading into Sunday’s showdown with the Bengals. He’s been on the field for more than 7,000 NFL snaps and has faced double teams on the majority of them. That’s a lot of mileage for a player who is still at his peak, but probably feeling those hits pile up on his body.
Winning the Super Bowl would be the perfect capper to his career. He’s already a first-ballot Hall of Famer thanks to the accolades he’s racked up in only eight years on the job. Being able to put his time in the NFL in the rearview — with numerous awards and more than $97 million in earned salary — at the tail end of a victory parade would give him the opportunity to leave the game on top with few regrets.
Would he actually retire? It’s tough to imagine a player firmly in discussion as one of the league’s top players and a perennial member of Madden’s 99 club walking away at his peak. It’s also easy to understand how nearly a decade of double-teams has taken a toll and how, realizing there are no more worlds to conquer after lifting the Lombardi Trophy, the 2022 season could feel hollow in comparison.
Ultimately, the choice will be Donald’s to make. If the Rams win Super Bowl 56, he could retire on top of the world. Or he could come back for another season and torture the NFL’s offensive linemen for one more year. Both sound pretty good.
Rodney Harrison said Aaron Donald told him if the Rams win the Super Bowl, he may retire from football
Aaron Donald has accomplished everything a defensive player could possibly hope to in the NFL. Heās a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, a seven-time All-Pro and an eight time Pro Bowler whoās also led the NFL in sacks and set the record for the most sacks in a season by a defensive tackle.
The only thing missing is a Super Bowl ring, and according to Rodney Harrison, Donald could walk away from the game if he wins one tonight against the Bengals.
You read that right: Harrison said Donald told him that if the Rams win the Super Bowl, he might just retire.
āHe also told me this: If he wins a Super Bowl, thereās a strong possibility that he could walk away from the game and retire,ā Harrison said on NBCās pregame show.
Rodney Harrison just said on NBC's pregame show that Aaron Donald told him there's a strong possibility he could retire if the #Rams win the Super Bowl. Video is below: pic.twitter.com/tIhAzQCwWv
Thatās quite the bit of information to drop an hour before kickoff of Super Bowl LVI. With Harrisonās shocking claim, Donald will undoubtedly be asked about the possibility of retiring if the Rams end up winning tonight.
The Cincinnati Bengals will face the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl 56 on Sunday night from SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, California.
The Cincinnati Bengals will face the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl 56 on Sunday night from SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, California.
The Bengals will be looking for their first Super Bowl in franchise history when they take the field on Sunday. After knocking off the Chiefs, Joe Burrow and company will be looking to take down the Rams on their home field. Meanwhile, the Rams should have a little bit of an advantage while playing at home and will be looking for their first Super Bowl as the Los Angeles Rams. Matthew Stafford, OBJ, Aaron Donald, and Jalen Ramsey will aim for another win and their first Lombardi trophy.
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Super Bowl week is always superfluous with one characteristic: Overanalysis.
The lead-up to Bengals (+4.5) and Rams — one odd Super Bowl to have on paper — has been no different. The usual overabundance of narratives and breakdowns and extended conversations about what can and will and might and should happen has been nonstop, utterly superfluous. All you can do is hope for a good game at a certain point.
On that note, there’s no need to put too much more thought into what will or could happen between Joe Burrow and Matthew Stafford’s bunches.Ā Let’s make it simple, and let me put your mind at ease with three short numbers that ultimately tell us everything about Super Bowl LVI.
T.J. Watt edged out Aaron Donald for Defensive Player of the Year, keeping AD from winning the award for the 4th time
Last year, Aaron Donald left Steelers fans outraged after he won Defensive Player of the Year over T.J. Watt. Both players were deserving after putting together great 2020 seasons, but Donald was simply the more impactful player.
Fast forward a year and itās Watt edging out Donald this time. At the NFL Honors show, Watt was named AP Defensive Player of the Year over Donald, the first time in his career heās won the award.
Watt led the NFL with 22.5 sacks (tied the single-season record) and 21 tackles for a loss, earning an All-Pro and Pro Bowl selection. He also hit the quarterback 39 times, making a total of 64 tackles ā the second-most in his career.
Donald didnāt put up astronomical numbers this season, but he still had 12.5 sacks, 25 QB hits and 19 tackles for a loss as a defensive tackle. Those would be impressive stats for an edge rusher, let alone an interior defender.
It took a truly great season by Watt to edge out Donald for the award, which only one player had done in the last four years. Despite now being 30 years old, Donald remains a perennial favorite for Defensive Player of the Year.
Deebo Samuel doesn’t care for the Rams much, but he’s still picking them to beat the Bengals on Sunday
If his interactions with the media are indicative of how he truly feels, then it’s not a secret that Deebo Samuel isn’t fond of the Los Angeles Rams. The dynamic wideout for the San Francisco 49ers takes the NFC West rivalry to heart, which makes his prediction for the Super Bowl slightly surprising.
With days to go until the Super Bowl is played, Samuel went on ESPN’s “First Take” to share that he envisions the Rams defeating the Bengals on Sunday.
When asked about who he was siding with in the Super Bowl, Samuel highlighted Aaron Donald, Von Miller, and Leonard Floyd as reasons why the Rams have an obvious edge over the Bengals.
“My honest opinion, if you look back at the Bengals playing the Titans, they sacked him (Joe Burrow) nine times and they don’t have no Aaron Donald, no Von Miller, or no Leonard Floyd,” Samuel said. “Those guys up front are amongst it. So for me personally, if you can prevent them from getting back there every play, which is kind of hard, then you have a chance. But if not, then it’s going to be a very, very long game.”
Samuel also spoke about the NFC title game between the Rams and 49ers, pointing out that Los Angeles had a great game plan in place to slow down San Francisco’s rushing attack. The Rams held the 49ers to 50 rushing yards on 20 attempts as a team, forcing San Francisco to try and win the game through the air.
On paper, there’s no hiding the fact that the Rams have a clear advantage over the Bengals in the trenches, especially when it comes to Los Angeles’ defensive front against Cincinnati’s offensive line. In last year’s Super Bowl, we witnessed Patrick Mahomes running for his life versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, resulting in a disappointing loss for the Kansas City Chiefs.
It’s not a surprise to see players choosing the team that beat them in the conference championship round to win the Super Bowl, as it hurts a little less to know you lost to the Super Bowl champions. Even though it probably hurt him to say it, Samuel believes the Rams are going to be adding hardware to their collection on Sunday.
