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Los Angeles Rams superstar Aaron Donald is a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, who clearly doesn’t need any motivation to perform at the highest level on the biggest stage.
With that said, the Bengals gave Donald extra motivation during Super Bowl LVI following a play when he shoved Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow out of bounds early in the third quarter. No flag was thrown on the play, but Bengals players rushed to Burrow and eventually caused a scrum and there was a bunch of pushing and shoving.
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Aaron Donald #99 of the Los Angeles Rams looks up during the trophy ceremony during Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium on February 13, 2022 in Inglewood, California. The Los Angeles Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Donald didn’t think he did anything wrong, of course, but nor did Burrow.
"Actually, Burrow was the one — he looked at me, like, ‘Hey Aaron, that was a clean play,’" Donald told NBC Sports. "The quarterback told me that! I feel everybody start pushing me, hitting me. I almost lost it. The refs were like, ‘Aaron, get out of here.’ They [the Bengals] already got me mad. Now they want to push on me, say all these words to me.
"You just woke me up. You just woke me up!"
On that same drive, Donald came away with a sack on a third-and-11 play when the Bengals were marching down the field and even got down to the Rams’ 11-yard line. Cincinnati ended up kicking a field goal to extend the team's lead to 20-13, but Donald’s sack kept the Rams in striking distance.
Aaron Donald #99 of the Los Angeles Rams pushes Joe Burrow #9 of the Cincinnati Bengals out of bounds in the third quarter during Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium on February 13, 2022 in Inglewood, California. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Donald wasn’t happy with Bengals guard Hakeem Adeniji during the earlier altercation.
"That number 77," Donald said, "he did a little talking, so I wanted to show him how strong I was.
"Pretty much bowled him back into the quarterback. You wanna start pushing and saying all these words to me? I like a little competition. We can play mean. Let’s play mean. I had to show them. They got three points out of it, but off a short-field turnover, we fought."
Aaron Donald #99 of the Los Angeles Rams reacts following a fourth down stop during the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LVI against the Cincinnati Bengals at SoFi Stadium on Feb. 13, 2022 in Inglewood, California. (Rob Carr/Getty Images)
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Donald, who had a chance to win Super Bowl MVP, had two sacks on the night and came away with the game-clinching pressure on Burrow on the Bengals’ final offensive play late in the fourth quarter.
With the Super Bowl win, Donald further cemented his case as a first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer when he decides to walk away from the game.
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