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Lindsey ThiryESPN
Los Angeles Ram’s defensive tackle Aaron Donald was on the sidelines at Lambeau Field and couldn’t hold back tears as the clock dropped to a 32-18 loss against the Green Bay Packers in a division-round playoff.
Rams coach Sean McVay and defensive line coach Eric Henderson tried to console Donald, who played just a week on Saturday after sustaining a significant rib injury in a wildcard playoff win.
“I love Aaron Donald, it means a lot to him,” McVay said after the game, “and it’s a shame he wasn’t at full strength today.”
Before Saturday’s game, Donald said he was feeling good and strong and would be ready to play. But the two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year was clearly limited against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers.
With protective padding on his ribs, Donald only played 55% of the snaps, down from his 85% seasonal average, although McVay said he wasn’t in the blink of an eye.
“Aaron can suppress himself,” said McVay. “The plan was to see how he feels, he always has the ability to tell us how he feels.”
Donald was doubled-teamed on 15 of his 21 pass rushes and failed to take a pass rush win – beating a block in 2.5 seconds – for the second time since 2017, according to ESPN statistics powered by NFL Next Gen Stats. He took one touch against Rodgers, but the Packers quarterback completed a 33-yard pass to finish Robert Tonyan tight in the game.
Ram’s defensive lineman Michael Brockers expressed disappointment with Donald after the game.
“It’s hard for a man like that to work as hard as he does to put in everything he does,” said Brockers, adding later: “[I] I just gotta talk to him, let him know, ‘Man that’s not up to you, that’s not up to you – there’s no reason why you should feel like this, [that] you feel like you’ve failed or something. You gave us everything you had and you are the reason why we are here. ”
Donald finished the regular season at No. 2 in the NFL with 13.5 sacks and added two more in the 30-20 wildcard win over the Seattle Seahawks.
The defense of the Rams finished the regular season at No. 1 in the NFL in efficiency, yards allowed per game (281.9) and points allowed per game (18.5).
However, Rodgers and the Packers accumulated 484 total yards of offense and kept the Rams’ defense on the field, dominating the possession time, 36:12 to 11:48.
Prior to Saturday, the Rams hadn’t let an opponent score on their first three drives this season, but the Packers scored on five consecutive moments to open the game, including a 14-play, 84-yard touchdown drive that was extended when Donald – apparently Frustrated – Received a penalty for unnecessary roughness when he grabbed offensive lineman Elgton Jenkin’s face mask.
Donald was not made available to reporters after the game.