Los Angeles Rams DT Aaron Donald Takes Home NFC Defensive Player of Week 4 Honors

Aaron Donald took home the honors after a stellar performance against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.

There was a reason why Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald skyrocketed on this year’s NFL Top 100 list to No. 14 when considering the type of success he had over his first two years in the league.

Expectations were high for the former first-round pick entering the 2016 season, and after decent performances over the first three games, Donald finally displayed the type of performance against the Arizona Cardinals that Rams fans have been waiting for. And thanks to that strong outing, Donald was recognized by the league for his impressive play.

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The defensive tackle was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week for Week 4 after recording 1.5 sacks agains the Cardinals, but one of the biggest plays by Donald came in the third quarter when Arizona was driving deep into Los Angeles territory. Not only did Donald record a key sack on Carson Palmer, but he forced a fumble that would be recovered by Ernie Sims to prevent the Cardinals from putting up more points on the board.

Los Angeles knows Donald is on his way to becoming one of the league’s top defensive stars when considering he’s reached the Pro Bowl in each of his first two seasons while recording 20 sacks. The defense for the Rams has looked shaky at times in the early season, but let’s hope this performance by Donald is just what the defensive tackle needed to finally get the ball rolling.

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The Rams are currently on top of the NFC West with a 3-1 record, and Donald knows it’s up to him as a defensive leader to make sure it stays that way.