WATCH: Aaron Donald once again gets away with trying to choke opponent during game
Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald is one of the most physical players in the league. During the Rams' Wild Card game against the Arizona Cardinals, the physicality seemed to have elevated to a whole other level.
Bold move to try and fight Aaron Donald
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In the third quarter of the game, Donald got into a scuffle with Cardinals offensive lineman D.J. Humphries. It appeared as if the Rams' No. 99 was trying to choke Humphries. As a result, the defensive tackle was flagged for unnecessary roughness, moving the ball from the Rams' 37-yard line to the seven-yard line.
AARON DONALD THREW A PUNCH! SUSPEND HIM FOR THE NEXT GAME! WHOEVER THE OPPONENT IS!
Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray threw a five-yard pass to running back James Conner, who ran it into the end zone on the following play. It was Arizona’s only touchdown as they lost the game by a score of 34-11 to Los Angeles.
Aaron Donald was involved in a similar incident before
This was not the first time the Rams defensive tackle took it a bit too far with an offensive lineman. Back in Week 12 of the 2021 regular season against the Green Bay Packers, the eight-time Pro Bowl player choked Green Bay guard Lucas Patrick.
Aaron Donald might one day end his career as the best defensive player in history. He also shouldn't get a pass for these type of stuff.
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Luckily, Patrick was not injured, but the play was not flagged as was the case against the Cardinals. Donald was fined $10,300 for his actions and nothing more.
The biggest takeaway from this incident is that the league also interprets various actions as unsportsmanlike conduct, and the penalty for all is equal (for first-time infractions).
This means that players who celebrate occasionally get fined for the equivalent amount of intentionally choking a player.
Below is an example of two plays that were slapped with the same fine:
These two things were fined the same amount of money. twitter.com/TomPelissero/s… https://t.co/SctkwEjG7y
The four-time defensive player of the year has played well despite such incidents. He led the Rams in sacks with 12.5, which was tied for seventh-most in the NFL.
The seven-time All-Pro also had 19 tackles for loss, which was tied with teammate Von Miller for fourth in the league.
With their win, the Rams advanced to the divisional round to face the defending Super Bowl champions, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Should they get past Tampa Bay, they could face the Packers in a rematch of the NFC Championship.