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theramswire.usatoday.com]
Who will be the Rams' MVP this season?
Cameron DaSilva
July 5, 2021 5:56 am PT
The Los Angeles Rams are a team that’s built to win a Super Bowl right now. Long term, they may not be in the best shape cap-wise, but when it comes to this season, they’re as talented as any team on paper.
That’s partly because they have three cornerstone players who could all finish the year as the team’s MVP. Matthew Stafford is an obvious choice to be considered the Rams’ most valuable player come January and could contend for league MVP, but Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey are right there with him when it comes to value.
Heck, you could probably even throw Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, Cam Akers and Andrew Whitworth into the mix, too.
But who will finish the season as the Rams’ MVP in 2021? According to Dan Hanzus of NFL.com, it’s Donald, not the veteran quarterback Stafford.
Donald is one of the greatest players in NFL history and putting anyone else as the top MVP candidate for the Rams is utter hogwash. The 30-year-old interior lineman was once again a terror for opposing offensive lines, racking up a league-high 98 pressures while grading out as the NFL’s No. 1 interior defender against the run, according to PFF. This is every-year production for Donald, who has enjoyed a sustained peak that will one day put him in Canton. I’m on board the hype train rolling for Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay, but Donald is the heart and soul of Rams football and will continue to be so in 2021.
Without Donald, the Rams wouldn’t have had the No. 1 defense in the NFL last season. The same can be said about Ramsey. But while most people expect L.A.’s defense to remain one of the top units in football again this year, it’s the offense that must improve.
It’s expected to with Stafford under center and Sean McVay calling the plays. If Stafford has a season with something like 4,500 yards and 35 touchdowns, he’ll be viewed as the team’s MVP. But if he puts up just average numbers and Donald dominates once again the way he has for seven seasons, he should claim the honor as the Rams’ most valuable player.
