No Longer Limited, Matthews has set the tone for the Defense

Nick Perry may lead the team in sacks, but the edge-rusher opposite of him has been kryptonite for opposing offenses this season.

Clay Matthews has displayed resilience in battling back from his acromioclavicular (AC) joint sprain; a general theme that has been the mantra for the Packers in 2016 while they claw their way back into the division race from 4-6.

Matthews swatted down two Sam Bradford throws, knocked him down a couple more times and recorded a crucial forced fumble that came on his fifth sack of the season. Nursing a quickly-disintegrating lead, the Vikings still held a pulse despite the Packers' offense rolling on every cylinder imaginable. That was until Matthews rushed the right edge, beat out left tackle T.J. Clemmings and hit Bradford from behind. It was his first regular season forced fumble since week 6, 2014 in Miami. He forced one in last year's Wild Card match-up against the Redskins.\

"Clay's play was a critical one because they (Vikings) had the ball at midfield," Defensive coordinator Dom Capers said on Monday. "If they're able to go down and get points there, it's probably a little different of a game."

The former USC Trojan and NFC Defensive Player of the Year has been rightfully praised for elevating the level of play of those around him this season, as an onslaught of points were given up during the Packers' four-game losing streak - three of those games which Matthews wasn't on the field for. Three games that averaged out to the defense giving up an average of 37 points per game, including 42 against a Washington Redskins team which Matthews struggled in with an ailing hamstring injury despite playing 56 defensive snaps.

Opposing offensive coordinators have to adjust to Matthews being on the field about as much as quarterbacks do at the helm of their 11-man ship. Slide protection, keeping each offensive lineman in check and anticipating "The Claymaker" while entertaining the concept of Matthews switching to inside linebacker on passing downs - something Capers has done with him in recent weeks due to a depleted corps on the interior. It was a role that initially belonged to Julius Peppers, but now late in the season, the Packers no longer have a reason to keep Peppers' legs fresh. A late-season situation like this is precisely why they were keeping Peppers - for the most part - on the shelf.

"Clay had a really good game. You saw those two batted passes, those are the kind of instinctive plays that Clay can make."

Matthews' limitation in the last month hasn't stopped the Packers from incorporating him into the defensive gameplan. On his path to a full recovery, there's hope that the trend with Matthews' presence will continue to be the ultimate factor in how well the front seven is able to get to the final potential five quarterbacks they'll face on Sunday through January.

"We weren't really sure on Clay," Capers continued, attesting to Matthews' availability. "I felt Clay was healthier from what he communicated to me going in... I thought he was able to engage and use his shoulder more than what he'd been able to. It's been a gradual thing."

"Clay's that guy... The plays he makes changes the course of the game."

__________________________

Zachary Jacobson is a staff writer/reporter for Cheesehead TV. He's the voice of The Leap on iTunes and can be heard on The Scoop KLGR 1490 AM every Saturday morning. He's also a contributor on the Pack-A-Day Podcast. He can be found on Twitter via @ZachAJacobson or contacted through email at [email protected].

NFL Categories: 
0 points
 

Comments (9)

Fan-Friendly This filter will hide comments which have ratio of 5 to 1 down-vote to up-vote.
Lphill's picture

December 27, 2016 at 08:03 pm

It's amazing how a week made a difference in his health, I believe he still needs surgery but he did look like his old self against the Vikings.

0 points
0
0
Bearmeat's picture

December 27, 2016 at 09:26 pm

Let's keep in mind how bad MIN is throughout their OL. If he and Perry do it again next week, I'll be excited.

0 points
0
0
Bert's picture

December 27, 2016 at 09:36 pm

I think CM an Perry will have to be in top form to advance deep into the playoffs. The only way we can offset the weakness in the secondary is with a very effective pass rush. Need both of those guys healthy.

0 points
0
0
Dzehren's picture

December 27, 2016 at 11:13 pm

1 week to heal in the NFL can make a big difference with technology & unlimited time, $$ & resources- see Aaron Rodgers running for the TD vs Vikes in Week 16 and trying to run at Chicago in week 15. See The Claymaker this week.

Sources indicate Matthews separated his shoulder 10-20-16 against the Bears.

More importantly, we need Jayrone, Perry & Matthews to heal up. With the rotation of Peppers, D Jones, Fackrell, we can get pressure off the edge. This pressure and pass rush off the edge will help to protect the liabilities of secondary and pass defense.

All NFC teams have flaws. A healthier OLB group can help disguise and minimize it.

0 points
0
0
Dzehren's picture

December 27, 2016 at 11:35 pm

I stand correct - he separated his shoulder against the eagles on 11-2816

He had ANOTHER injury on said Bears game 10-20-16 as well.

Sorry for the bad info

0 points
0
0
gr7070's picture

December 28, 2016 at 01:30 am

What a joke. The only thing Matthews did was play the worst LT in football.

He's been non-existent the rest of the season.

0 points
0
0
Chad Lundberg's picture

December 28, 2016 at 04:43 am

I honestly think teams take whatever chance they can get to injure Clay, they know it's the only possible way to stop or slow him down. Legal or not, that shot by Allen Barbre was just cheap. Clay never even saw him, it was a shot in the back and he didn't have to hit that hard anyway.

0 points
0
0
croatpackfan's picture

December 28, 2016 at 05:06 am

Do not worry. Karma is one very, very, very bad mother f**ker... Allen Barbe will learn that on the heavy way...

0 points
0
0
RCPackerFan's picture

December 28, 2016 at 08:33 am

Mathews is our most important defensive player moving down the stretch.
He is the 1 guy in the front 7 that offenses fear and have to account for on every play. After showing what he did against the Vikings, you can bet the Lions will be paying attention to him, which should give others more opportunities.
If Perry can continue to add a pass rush with his club hand, our front 7 will be much better.

0 points
0
0