ESPN’s Bill Barnwell has defensive tackle Aaron Donald as his end-of-the-season candidate for Defensive Player of the Year.

Here’s what Barnwell said about the NFL’s leader in sacks:

“While Donald's MVP candidacy fell by the wayside after a pair of quiet games in Weeks 14 and 15, he's still comfortably the best pass-rusher in football. His 19.5 sacks are four more than any other defender in the league, and his 38 knockdowns are seven ahead of second-placed Fletcher Cox. Kawann Short is the only defensive tackle in the league with more tackles for loss against the run, but I don't see a reason to overthink this. This is the easiest pick on my ballot.”

For all of Barnwell’s early regular-season awards, click here.

NFL.com’s Shaun O’Hara named the Rams offensive line as one the best in Week 16. O’Hara says L.A.’s 269 yards rushing and running back C.J. Anderson’s 167-yard performance should be credited to a strong performance by the O-line.

“The fact that he had 167 rushing yards (8.4 yards per carry) speaks volumes about the Rams' offensive line, which was PFF's top-ranked run-blocking unit this week. Right tackle Rob Havenstein had his best performance of the year in the ground game, and the group didn't allow a sack. In fact, it gave up just four total pressures in the pass game. The outstanding effort was led by left tackle Andrew Whitworth, who didn't allow a pressure, and right guard Austin Blythe, who has yet to give up a sack this season.”

For more on the top offensive lines of Week 16, click here.