When Aaron Donald beat his blocks and forced Joe Burrow to throw an incomplete pass, the Los Angeles Rams had clinched victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI. And Sean McVay, saw it coming.
A mic’d up McVay was heard pumping up his defense on the sideline before the play, saying “What else could you want?” and even Donald, “This is the moment.” When the team took the field, McVay said “For the World Championship right here” before saying “Aaron Donald’s going to make a play.”
That last part wasn’t a prediction. As Paul Heyman would say, it was a spoiler.
"Aaron Donald's gonna make a play."
Sean McVay knew this was 99's moment. Epic. (via @NFLFilms, @insidetheNFL) pic.twitter.com/a0E6vSpsFH
— NFL (@NFL) February 14, 2022
And for the Rams sake, it’s a good thing that McVay’s words were true. A simple conversion would have put Cincinnati beyond midfield with plenty of time to get into range for a game-tying field goal or even game-winning touchdown. Furthermore, Jalen Ramsey had fallen on the play, leaving Ja’Marr Chase wide open. But Donald wasn’t going to let that happen.
Donald was dominant throughout the game for the Rams. While Cooper Kupp was named Super Bowl MVP, Donald could have just as easily earned the honor. Donald finished the game with four total tackles, three solo tackles, two sacks and three hits on Burrow. Even on plays when he didn’t register a tackle, sack or hit, Donald was a fixture in the Cincinnati backfield, making life more difficult for Burrow and the Bengals running backs.
So while McVay’s words proved true, they didn’t come from out of nowhere.
[NFL]
