Aaron Donald stifles all Super Bowl dreams of the Cincinnati Bengals with two plays in the last minute. It’s a dream come true for the defensive star, who could now be saying goodbye to the NFL at his prime football age.

Los Angeles/Munich – There was only one thing Aaron Donald couldn’t stop on this Super Bowl night: his tears.

“I’ve been dreaming about this moment,” the Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle shouted into the NFL Network microphone after the 23-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, as tears welled up in his eyes. “Look at that! This is unbelievable!”

Similarly unfathomable was what Donald accomplished on the field moments earlier. He single-handedly ripped the Bengals out of all their title dreams on their final drive of the Super Bowl.

First, Donald stopped Samaje Perine’s run on third down, using his mighty paw to prevent him from running any further and denying him a first down. On the all-important fourth down, it was Donald again, who once more duped the Bengals’ O-line and collected Joe Burrow, who was swerving to the right. The quarterback could only throw the ball hopelessly into no man’s land.

The Rams’ defensive steamroller crushed any playoff dreams the Bengals had.

Aaron Donald: “Give it your all now!”

What he was thinking on that drive? “One last play and we’ll be the best in the world. Give it your all now! And I found a way. We made the play and won. That’s all that matters,” Donald said, describing his emotional world.

After Donald took Burrow to the ground, he was also the first to realise the gigantic implications of his Big Plays. Donald ripped his helmet off his head and pointed to his finger with a grin. The exact spot where he will wear a Super Bowl ring in the future.

“Aaron finished it off. It’s poetic,” his head coach Sean McVay praised the defensive tackle, who contributed two sacks to Burrow becoming the most-sacked quarterback in history in a Super Bowl game. That was in addition to two tackles for loss. “When they went into shotgun formation on fourth down and it was clear they probably weren’t going to run, I said, ‘Aaron’s going to finish the game here.’ And he’s just the freaking hammer. “

The perfect time to retire?

It was the culmination of another strong season for the exceptional defender – and possibly the perfect end to an impressive NFL career. Because “NBC” reported shortly before the kickoff of the Super Bowl that Donald would probably want to end his career if he won. Despite his contract with the Rams still running until the end of the 2024 season.

In fact, the timing could hardly be better for the 30-year-old than now: In addition to countless individual honours, including eight Pro Bowl nominations and three best defensive player awards, Donald has now been crowned an NFL champion.

The Rams will have to bake smaller rolls in the coming years in view of the expensive contracts under the win-now mode. The star squad is in danger of disintegrating after reaching their common goal.

Aaron Donald & family on top of the world pic.twitter.com/QpbcMyxPXG

– Omar Ruiz (@OmarDRuiz) February 14, 2022

Family instead of NFL? Donald wants to “enjoy the moment “

But Donald wouldn’t give any of that a second thought in the hour of his greatest triumph. “I’ve been fortunate and privileged to play at a high level for eight years. I’m just enjoying this moment right now. I’m just living in this moment now,” he answered the question about the retirement rumours. And that’s what he did: together with his daughter, Donald played for the NFL champions in a shower of confetti. “I promised her when she was five years old,” Donald said.

Scenes that are perhaps symbolic of the superstar’s soon-to-be future: Confetti angels instead of tackles. Donald’s kids would surely love it. For the Rams and the NFL it would be a bitter loss.