The Los Angeles Rams’ star defensive tackle broke down after his playoff loss to the Green Bay Packers.
The Los Angeles Rams shocked the world last week when they eliminated the NFC West champion Seattle Seahawks on Wild Card Weekend. However, the Rams had the unenviable task of going up to Frozen Tundra to face the NFL MVP favorite Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. At one point, the Rams looked like they had a shot of pulling off the upset, but the Packers pulled away late in the fourth quarter to win 32-18.
In case you were wondering just how important winning is to these players, just look at Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald, who broke down in tears on the sidelines as the clock ticked to zero. NFL fans, of course, shared their reactions on Twitter.
Donald was battling through a rib injury
Donald tried his best to help the Rams advance to the NFC Championship Game, but he was simply too banged up to play a full game.
Last week, Donald suffered a rib injury during a tackle attempt on Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson. During the week, it was determined that the unanimous All-Pro player was dealing with a torn rib cartilage entering Los Angeles’ road playoff game against Green Bay. In fact, Donald was wearing custom-made military grade shoulder pads to help protect his ribs.
Of Los Angeles’ 72 defensive snaps, Donald was only able to lineup on 39 of them, and could only muster one tackle on the game. As fans saw on Saturday, if Donald isn’t playing at full health, then the rest of the defense struggles.
You have to admire Donald for his courageous effort on Saturday. He wanted to win, but unfortunately the pain was just too much for him to make a true impact against the Packers. And please, don’t make fun of the man for crying. He truly gave it his all.