Donald will miss rare start

Former Pitt star had not missed game with injury

Seven-time All-Pro defensive tackle and former Pitt and Penn Hills star Aaron Donald will miss a game because of injury for the first time in his NFL career when his Los Angeles Rams host Seattle on Sunday.

Donald has a high ankle sprain from the Rams’ loss at Kansas City on Sunday, and Los Angeles coach Sean McVay ruled him out Wednesday.

Donald sprained his ankle in the first quarter, but kept playing on it, McVay said. He won’t need surgery, but his ironman streak will end at 86 consecutive games.

Donald has missed only two games in his nine-year NFL career, both in 2017. He sat out the Rams’ season

opener on the day after ending his contract holdout, and he sat out the finale to rest for the playoffs.

Donald has five sacks in 11 games this year, the slowest pace of his career, but he remains the anchor of a solid Los Angeles defense that has soundly outperformed its struggling offense.

Bears

Justin Fields felt better Wednesday than he did a week ago as he continues his recovery from a separated left shoulder.

But the Chicago quarterback said he won’t fully

know if he’s ready to play Sunday against Green Bay until he gets through more practices.

Fields again was limited at the first Bears practice of the week. In the portion of the practice open to the media, he ran through ball security drills holding the football with his left arm and threw several times on the move.

The news wasn’t quite as hopeful for one of Fields’ teammates Wednesday. Coach Matt Eberflus said safety Eddie Jackson will miss the remainder of the season because of a foot injury.

Falcons

Atlanta tight end Kyle Pitts will miss the remainder of the season, coach Arthur Smith said Wednesday.

Pitts, who has 28 receptions for 356 yards and two touchdowns this season, underwent a procedure Tuesday that Smith declined to identify. Pitts posted on his Instagram account that the procedure was to repair a Grade 2 MCL sprain in his right knee.

Elsewhere

Penn State standout Joey Porter Jr., son of the former Steelers linebacker and a North Allegheny product, announced Wednesday that he is declaring for the NFL draft and opting out of the Nittany Lions’ bowl game.

The redshirt junior cornerback was named to the All-Big Ten first team on Tuesday after totaling 26 tackles and 11 pass breakups during the regular season.