Los Angeles Rams superstar defensive tackle Aaron Donald was named the recipient of the NFL’s Way to Play Award for Super Bowl LVI. This award is given to one player every week that highlights proper technique and best practices on the field through the lens of current players, NFL legends, and head coaches.
Donald was given the honor for Super Bowl LVI because of his textbook sack of Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow during the third quarter of the championship game. Among the panel choosing each recipient are NFL legends Merrill Hoge, Ronnie Lott, Willie McGinest, Orlando Pace, and Michael Robinson.
The play being awarded came with 11:03 remaining in the third quarter of Super Bowl LVI, when Donald sacked Burrow for a nine-yard loss on third down to force a Bengals field goal. That play kept it a one-score game, with the Rams trailing 20-13. They would go on to score a field goal on their next possession.
This was announced on NFL Network’s Good Morning Football Tuesday morning, with former NFL center Shaun O’Hara explaining the fundamentals behind Donald’s takedown of Burrow, according to Stu Jackson of TheRams.com:
“Watch what he does with his hands,” former NFL center Shaun O’Hara said on the show. “This is all hands. This is not leading with the head, not the face, all hands, right in the middle of the sternum of that right guard. And then watch as he gently tackles the quarterback. … Does not land on the quarterback with all of his bodyweight. That’s the way the game is played the right way.”
Each recipient of this award is given a $2,500 grant through USA Football that allows them to donate equipment to any youth or high school football program of the player’s choice. Donald also signified the third time a Rams player had won the award during the postseason and the fourth overall for 2021.
Rams safety Nick Scott won the award twice during the playoffs. The first was during their Wild Card Weekend win against the Arizona Cardinals and the second was for the NFC Championship Game over the San Francisco 49ers. Linebacker Troy Reeder won during Week 9 of the regular season.
Van Jefferson names son Champ
Rams wide receiver Van Jefferson famously had to leave the team’s Super Bowl celebration early in order to be with his family for the birth of his child. Given that his son was born on the day of the Rams championship, Jefferson aptly named his son Champ, he explained in the days following Super Bowl Sunday.
