Rams' Aaron Donald Wins 2018 NFL Defensive Player of the Year

For the third time in NFL history, a player has repeated as NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald took home the award Saturday night at the 2019 NFL Honors ceremony. 

He joins Lawrence Taylor and J.J. Watt as the only three players to win the prize in successive years. 

Donald recorded 59 tackles and an NFL-high 20.5 sacks during the regular season. His sack total came just two short of matching Michael Strahan for the most in a single season.

Rams players even began making the push for the 27-year-old to win the Most Valuable Player award. A defensive player has not won the MVP since Taylor in 1986.

"All you need to say is that damn A.D., you know, he always making plays," teammate Todd Gurley said, per Lindsey Thiry of ESPN. "That's why I'm really never worried, because we got a guy like him back there to help make plays. And he does it every week, every week, every week, every week, and what's understood shouldn't have to be explained."

As strong as Donald's season was, though, he was not a unanimous winner. Chicago Bears star Khalil Mack received five votes, per NFL.com's David Ely.

Mack, who came over to Chicago in a trade with the Oakland Raiders, was the dominant force behind the league's best defense. He recorded 47 tackles and 12.5 sacks, his fourth straight year with double-digit sacks.

But after a slow first few weeks, Donald made it clear this was his award to lose. His four-sack performance against the San Francisco 49ers was perhaps the most single dominant display of the entire season. It started a stretch of five games in six weeks where he had at least two sacks.

"He's forcing turnovers, he's getting there at the most important times," Rams coach Sean McVay told reporters. "And that's what we talk about all the time, that competitive greatness, being your best when your best is required. He's kind of the epitome of that right now for our defense and, really, a guy that represents that for a football team."

Donald will now look to build on his brilliant 2018 and come back in 2019 with the goal of becoming the first three-peat winner as DPOY.