'We're Still Alive': Aaron Donald Still Believes in Rams, Ready for Bout vs. Cardinals
Los Angeles Rams star defensive tackle Aaron Donald decided not to retire this offseason for a reason.
And while that reason certainly has to do with the $40 million raise he received in June, he still has the burning desire to win back-to-back Super Bowls.
But first, he'll have to help the Rams climb out of the 3-5 hole they've got themselves into, and it starts on Sunday at home against the Arizona Cardinals (3-6). In a NFC West battle that could all but decimate the postseason hopes for whoever fails to come out on top, Donald is making sure his team is locked in.
"My main purpose of playing football is to win," Donald said. "I’m going to do everything in my power to motivate the guys around me, try to motivate myself to continue to do that because like I said, we’re still alive.”
Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey voiced frustration after Sunday's gut-wrenching 16-13 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He publicly called out LA's offense for being unable to pick up a first down on a potential game-sealing drive. This gave Tom Brady and the Bucs the ball back before the seven-time Super Bowl champion found rookie tight end Cade Otton for the game-winning touchdown with nine seconds left.
Donald isn't taking the same approach, but he admitted he understands where Ramsey's frustration is coming from.
“Well, as a competitor, nobody likes to lose. After a while, you get kind of fed up with it and sometimes things need to be said, guys need to hear certain things,” Donald said. “I don’t think it’s anything personal, I just think it’s trying to motivate everybody to get on the same page to try to win games."
While LA's offense has struggled, the defense has remained one of the better units in the league, allowing the eighth fewest offensive yards per game (312.4) and the fourth-fewest rushing yards (98.4) per game.
But the defense can't completely cover up the shortcomings of an offense that is averaging the fourth-fewest points per game (16.4) and second-fewest yards (286).
Still, while blame from the Tampa Bay can hardly be put on a defense that was worn out in the fourth quarter, allowing the Bucs to score their first touchdown of the game with nine seconds left means something can be improved regardless of how the first 59 minutes went.
"Obviously, we got to get better, we got to play better as a team," Donald said. " ... We don’t have too much more room to keep losing now. ... It’s a tough league but I believe that we got the coaches and the players in this organization to get it done."
The Rams and Cardinals kickoff from SoFi Stadium on Sunday at 1:25 p.m. CT.
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
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