INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- Aaron Donald overpowered the right guard before getting Jimmy Garoppolo in his grasp, forcing the San Francisco 49ers quarterback into a desperation throw that landed in the hands of linebacker Travin Howard for an interception.

The play that sealed the Los Angeles Rams' 20-17 win in Sunday's NFC Championship Game was classic Donald.

What happened a few minutes earlier was not.

After the 49ers took a 17-7 lead in the third quarter with Garoppolo's 16-yard touchdown pass to tight end George Kittle, the Fox broadcast showed Donald summoning the defense around him on the sideline for a crunch time pep talk that only seemed abnormal because of who was delivering it.

"That's what leaders do," Rams linebacker Von Miller said. "He's a great leader."

Except that's not how Donald has led for most of his eight NFL seasons, preferring to set the tone with his play and his work ethic. But therein lies the difference the Rams have cited with the superstar defensive tackle during their run to Super Bowl LVI: He is the same dominant force, only noticeably louder.

"His willingness to lead seems to be higher," Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris said last week, volunteering the observation. "Aaron Donald doesn't talk much to a whole group. He talks more to his unit. But this week, he's talked to the defense. He's more willing to talk to different people."

As Los Angeles cornerback Jalen Ramsey said when asked about Morris' comment, "AD's still going to make sure he's in his own and he's going to be AD. He's not going to change. The person's not going to change, but he definitely has been a little bit more vocal, wanting to break the defense down a little bit more than usual and things like that, and try to give them just that extra motivation.

"Obviously, everybody on the whole team, but especially the defense, thinks so highly of him, so it does mean a little bit extra when AD does things like that."

In illustrating how great players can differ in how they engage with teammates, Morris noted how much more vocal Hall of Fame linebacker Derrick Brooks was as compared to another All-Pro defender he coached with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, cornerback Ronde Barber.

"Ronde Barber was closer to an Aaron Donald-type guy because he was more laid back until it was time to talk," Morris said. "Aaron kind of reminds me of that kind of mindset. He talks when he wants to, and when he talks, everybody listens. It's the old EF Hutton deal."

That was a reference to the stock brokerage firm whose commercials would show anyone within earshot stopping in their tracks and craning their necks to hear a piece of Hutton's financial advice.

Rams defenders gathered around Donald with similarly rapt attention after they fell behind by 10 points on Sunday. They forced punts on the 49ers' next two possessions before the third and final one ended with the interception.

In years past, defensive tackle Michael Brockers would have been the player rallying the Rams' defense from the center of that circle. Or perhaps safety John Johnson III. Brockers was traded to the Detroit Lions this past offseason, and he watched Sunday's game while wearing a No. 99 Donald jersey, posting a shot of it on Instagram. Johnson signed with the Cleveland Browns in free agency.

So now it's Donald's time.

"We just had to lock in a little bit more," Ramsey said, relaying the gist of Donald's message. "We had to give more. We had to really want it. It was going to come down to that, wanting it more. We had to show it. Everybody wanted it, but when any of our leaders talk to us and gather us around and get us together, they kind of get your mind even more right. However right you thought it was, it's going to get better.

"Especially AD. You want to go to the Bowl for AD."

That last comment from Ramsey echoed what has been a theme in public comments from Rams defenders and coaches.

"This building wants to win for Aaron Donald," Morris said.

The Rams were fresh off their loss to the Green Bay Packers in the divisional round last year when they hired Morris as Brandon Staley's replacement. When he watched the replay of that game, Morris was struck by the emotion that overcome Donald, who wiped tears from his eyes on the sideline in the closing seconds.

"I just looked into his eyes and I felt that hurt and I felt that pain, and when I got here, that was the first thing I said to him: 'I'm going to do everything in my power ... to help you win a championship, and I mean that,'" Morris said.

Perhaps Donald's newfound willingness to speak up reflects his sense of urgency to win as much as it does an obligation to fill a leadership void. He has everything else on a Hall of Fame résumé: three NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards, eight straight Pro Bowls, seven straight first-team All-Pro selections and 98 regular-season sacks, including 12.5 in 2021.

But no championship. The Rams got to Super Bowl LIII following the 2018 season and lost despite holding Tom Brady and the New England Patriots to 13 points.

"I know what it feels like to be there, but I don't know what it feels like to win," Donald said last week. "I feel like I've accomplished a lot in a short amount of time in this league. The only thing I'm lacking now is ... being a world champion."

At 30 years old, with questions about the long-term viability of a Rams roster that is built to win now, Donald might not get many better chances than this one.

While celebrating the game-sealing play on Sunday, he shot both arms above his head, one hand pointing to the base of a finger on the other, right where a ring would sit.

"A Super Bowl is all he needs," Miller said. "He could walk off into the sunset, and I'm going to do everything in my power to make that happen for him."

-- ESPN reporter Lindsey Thiry contributed to this story