Of all the astounding stat lines in Sunday night's box score from Soldier Field, one proved most eye-catching.
Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald: two tackles, one quarterback hit. That's it and that's all.
The NFL sack leader couldn't add to his impressive total of 16 {. The three-time All-Pro never took down a Bears player in the backfield. Donald's only tackles? He torched right guard Bryan Witzmann to stop Jordan Howard for a 1-yard gain on third-and-2 late in the first half. And midway through the third quarter, he came in late to assist Ndamukong Suh on a stop of Howard after a 3-yard gain.
In yet another marvelous display of preparation and strategy, the Bears upset the Rams 15-6 in big part because they took two MVP candidates and turned them into Average Joes.
Todd Gurley, who began the day as the league's leading rusher, had only 28 yards on 11 carries. And Donald, thanks to the game plan of Bears coach Matt Nagy and the hard work of his offensive line, never made a big splash.
Shortly after the win, Nagy noted that he was challenged as a play caller by Donald's presence.
"What I saw all season is there's usually one play in the game that he makes that flips the field and just flips the way the game is going," Nagy said.
That play never came Sunday.
Nagy praised rookie guard James Daniels for his contributions in helping to control Donald and Suh. Daniels, 21, who entered with six career starts, held up well.
"His technique was really good," Nagy said Monday. "He never lunged too much, he stayed balanced. One of James' biggest strengths is if he happens to lose a little leverage, he can recover. But for the most part he was very consistent. And, man, for being such a young kid, (he was) very calm and composed."
Confident too. Daniels certainly took a lot out of the win individually, a valuable experience as he develops.
"It was fun," Daniels said. "One thing I learned is _ and I know it is true and I have always known it _ but when you use your technique, it doesn't matter who you are blocking. You will be fine. That is something I have always known, but today was something that really showed that."
