Aaron Donald is one of the greatest Rams of all time. The only debate is how close to No. 1 overall he is (I’m sure some of us will happily give him the gold medal without question).
When you discuss the greatest defensive players in NFL history, Donald’s name has to come up when you talk about the likes of Lawrence Tylor, Reggie White, etc. The domination, the consistency, the intensity, he’s on the shortlist no matter what.
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So today, on his 35th birthday, let’s remember the finest moment of his no-doubt Hall of Fame career.
You can parse through every game of his 10 seasons with the Rams and you’ll find an insane number of highlight-reel plays and utterly dominant performances. We’re not using the flowery language about his standing among the all-time greats for no reason. But when the stakes were the highest and the lights were the brightest, Aaron Donald made one of the most clutch plays in Super Bowl history.
One-score game. Fourth down. One of the best young quarterbacks in the game on the other side of the line with a chance to keep the game alive. This is what kids dream of. It’s what Donald lived.
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No one would have doubted his credentials without a Super Bowl win. We, as an NFL-watching public, rarely hold non-quarterbacks to the rings culture standards we hold passers to. But to add a championship on top of all his other legendary accolades? We all know what that meant to No. 99.
He shows excellent get-off at the snap, he barely gets grazed by his offensive lineman counterpart and Joe Burrow is immediately in the danger zone. The fact that Burrow even got the ball off with a prayer is impressive, but there was no doubt as soon as he crossed the line that Donald was going to seal this win.
The final stretch of Super Bowl LVI in totality was utter brilliance for Donald. There’s not need to relitigate Super Bowl MVP that year, because Cooper Kupp was obviously preposterously good. But Donald’s individual effort in the waning moments is one of the best stretches you’ll ever see.
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Few guys truly get to go out on their own terms. Ten years in the NFL, still young and healthy, a champion, accolades for days and a bust in Canton, Ohio awaiting him. But while Aaron Donald is certainly content with his post-playing life, it’s fun to look back at his finest hour as he celebrates another trip around the sun.
