Aaron Donald was denied his first championship ring in 2018 when Tom Brady and the New England Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Rams 13-3 in Super Bowl LIII.
Donald was unable to make a huge impact in that game, losing two 1-on-1 battles with Patriots left guard Joe Thuney late in the fourth quarter as New England took the lead for good.
The Rams are back in the big game after beating the Arizona Cardinals, Brady's Tampa Bay Buccaneers and then the San Francisco 49ers (in that order) on the way to Sunday's Super Bowl LVI matchup versus the Cincinnati Bengals.
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Sean McVay reflects on lessons learned from Super Bowl loss to Patriots
Brady retired last week, which means Donald's Rams are the last team to ever beat the future Hall of Fame quarterback. Donald explained Monday night how Brady has motivated him to reach the summit of pro football for the first time.
“It’d be more memorable if we can win this week because you remember the wins, the things you had to do to get to this point to be world champions,” Donald said during Super Bowl LVI Opening Night. “But no, man, you play great teams, to play against a great quarterback like Tom Brady who won seven Super Bowls and has been to multiple Super Bowls, obviously, I understand how hard it is to try to get one ring because I’m still chasing it.”
“To know that he accomplished seven world championships, that’s pretty special,” Donald said. “He’s a guy that motivates me to work the way I do to try and accomplish what I’m trying to accomplish because it’s the ultimate goal that he accomplished seven times and I’m chasing one. So a lot of respect to him.”
The Rams are the betting favorites entering Sunday's game, and their pass rush, led by Donald, is a huge reason for that. Donald, Leonard Floyd and former Super Bowl MVP Von Miller will be a tough threesome for a lackluster Bengals offensive line to block. It's hard to imagine the Rams losing this game if they consistently put pressure on Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.
Donald is a great player -- one of the best of his era, regardless of position. That said, a Super Bowl ring would elevate him into the upper tier of all-time defensive players.