Aaron Donald: Bengals are in the Super Bowl for a…

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The Bengals’ pass protection issues were on full, glaring display in the divisional round when quarterback Joe Burrow was sacked nine times.

Cincinnati was able to overcome that to beat Tennessee. And Burrow was only sacked once in the AFC Championship game.

But Burrow was still heavily pressured in that contest, particularly with pressure up the middle.

At least on paper, the Rams appear to have significant advantage in the trenches from their defensive standpoint. Burrow said on Monday that he has the “utmost confidence” in his offensive line. And star defensive tackle Aaron Donald isn’t overlooking the way Cincinnati’s offensive line could perform in Super Bowl LVI.

“Well obviously there’s going to be a lot of talk here and there leading up to the game, but we’re locked onto what we need to do,” Donald said Monday. “So I’m confident in the players we’ve got, the guys we’ve got. But at the same time, like you said, that might amp them up and get them ready. But we’ll be ready, too.

“They’re where they’re at for a reason. Obviously, the guys up front helped do that. So they’re playing in the Super Bowl just like I am and like we are. So our mindset is just to go out there, try to dominate for four quarters, and try to find a way to affect the game. Obviously, I think this game can be won up front — that’s like any other game. You say that every week. So we do our job and we do what we need to do up front, I think we can win this game.”

Donald recorded 12.5 sacks, 19 tackles for loss, and 25 quarterback hits in the regular season to earn a seventh first-team AP All-Pro selection in his eight seasons. He’s picked up 1.5 sacks, two tackles for loss, and six QB hits in the 2021 postseason.