There was a tense moment in last week’s Chiefs-Rams game when Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald grabbed Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes at the facemask, which wiped out a sack.
But now it appears that the NFL has decided that Donald’s actions warranted more than just a flag. According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, Donald has been fined $15,914 for unnecessary roughness this weekend.
Ironically, it’s possible that this fine might be the last time that we hear about Donald for quite some time. He’s now dealing with an ankle injury and has already been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks.
Donald has 5.0 sacks, 49 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and 11 QB hits in 11 games this season. If his season finished today, those would all be among the lowest numbers of his Hall of Fame career.
Right now though it appears that the Los Angeles Rams are ready to call it a wrap on this season. Earlier today they placed quarterback Matthew Stafford on injured reserve, and have already shut down Cooper Kupp for the year with a leg injury of his own.
The end result is likely to be one of the worst follow-up seasons to a Super Bowl winning season ever. The Rams 3-8 on the season and won’t even have a first-round draft pick for their hardships.
Should Aaron Donald play again this season? Will he?