For the second time in the 2018 season, defensive tackle Aaron Donald has been named NFC Defensive Player of the Month.

Donald earned the award for his December, during which he racked up 6.0 sacks, nine tackles for loss, 13 quarterback hits, and a forced fumble in five games.

Overall in 2018, Donald finished the regular season with a franchise-record 20.5 sacks — a figure that led the league, and set a new NFL record for sacks by a defensive tackle. Donald also finished No. 1 with 25 tackles for loss, and set a new career high with 41 quarterback hits.

Donald also was named NFC Player of the Month for his October, when he recorded 8.0 sacks, 10 tackles for loss, 12 quarterback hits, and a forced fumble/recovery.

Ironically, Donald had never won an NFC Player of the Month award before 2018 — even in his AP Defensive Player of the Year season in 2017.

Overall, this is Los Angeles' fourth NFC Player of the Month award. Running back Todd Gurley was the NFC Offensive Player of the Month for October, and quarterback Jared Goff earned the same honor for his September performances.

The Rams will be on the practice field on Thursday before having a couple days off for the playoff bye week.