NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. – In 2021, the #DAWGWORK put in by the Rams defensive line peaked at the right time, helping generate 12 sacks in the playoffs en route to a Super Bowl LVI victory.
In 2022, the challenge is to carry over that momentum.
"Honestly, I feel like we're gonna have the best d-line in the league," defensive lineman Greg Gaines said. "We got some really good good guys on the d-line. We got Aaron Donald, A'Shawn Robinson, Leonard Floyd and Justin Hollins. It's gonna be it's gonna be a fun crew, we're gonna have a really good time out there."
Donald, Robinson and Gaines were pillars of a defensive line that held opponents to 61 or fewer rushing yards in their first three playoff games, then the Bengals to just 79 yards in Super Bowl LVI.
Robinson was especially critical to stopping the run, and when asked about that performance last Saturday, he said he felt like the 2021 season overall was the best of his professional career.
"I just never had I a chance like that in Detroit," Robinson said. "So coming in here and having this opportunity, knowing what my job was, coming in and knowing what the goal was with them bringing me in here, I wanted to be the best version of myself whenever the time came upon it. That's what I felt like I did last year, and that's what I'm working towards doing consistently this year and moving forward."
From a pass-rushing standpoint, the unit helped produce seven sacks of those playoff sacks the Super Bowl. That came on the heels of 50 sacks in the regular season, 18 of which were notched over the final five weeks of the season.
"It's good when you got veteran guys that know how to play the game and had success in this league, that understand scheme, understand how to play off of each other," Donald said. "When you got a close-knit group like how we got, obviously you feel a lot more comfortable going out there with them guys knowing they're going to be where they need to be and they can help you make things happen."
Between his, Gaines' and Robinson's experience, as well as Floyd's at edge, they'll look to maintain that consistency this fall – and hopefully, into the winter.
"We got a great group," Donald said. "We gotta continue to lead the team and get better, and continue to push each other."
