Jadeveon Clowney ‘much better’ than last week. And last week was darn good for Seahawks
The Seahawks’ best pass rusher is better than he was last week—when he was decisively good.
Jadeveon Clowney practiced more and feels better than he did this time last week, when the three-time Pro Bowl defensive end did not practice at all, coach Pete Carroll said Friday.
Last week Clowney played through his core-muscle injury he’s had for two months. He knocked Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz out of the game and applied constant pressure in Seattle’s wild-card playoff win at Philadelphia.
Carroll said after Clowney practiced Friday then the Seahawks got on their plane to Wisconsin for Sunday’s NFC divisional playoff game at Green Bay that his top weapon to affect Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers had an encouraging week of work.
“He did. He did. As the week progressed he felt much better than he did last week,” Carroll said.
“So he’s in good shape, ready to go. We are excited about that.”
They should be.
Clowney is Seattle’s key to ending the franchise’s eight-game losing streak in Green Bay and reaching next week’s NFC championship game.
Clowney, who turns 27 next month, has played in 75 regular-season games and four more playoff ones in the NFL. He’s never played against Rodgers. When Clowney was playing for Houston from 2014 until his trade to Seattle Sept. 1 he was out injured when the Texans played Rodgers and the Packers.
Yet Clowney’s been around the league long enough to know getting to the two-time NFL most valuable player and making him throw the ball sooner than he wants to is Seattle’s best way to win Sunday.
The Seahawks got to Wentz and fill-in Josh McCown for seven sacks in holding Philadelphia without a touchdown last weekend. Clowney was the force behind that pressure—as he’s been almost every game Seattle’s intermittent pass rush has sparked this season.
Wentz and McCown are nowhere near Rodgers’ skill at extending plays and getting passes off from all angles and pass rushers.
“We’ve got to do that every week—especially this week. We’re going to try to apply pressure on Aaron Rodgers,” Clowney said. “They’ve got a great front. We are going to try to get pressure on him. And hopefully get the ball some.”
Green Bay (13-3) has won five straight games and earned the second seed and first-round bye after its 37-8 loss at San Francisco Nov. 24. The 49ers sacked Rodgers five times in that game.
The Packers’ loss before that was 27-11 at the Los Angeles Chargers, whose defensive coordinator is former Seahawks assistant Gus Bradley. Bradley’s guys sacked Rodgers three times that day. (Think Seahawks coach Pete Carroll might have already called Bradley about that game this week?)
And when the Packers struggled to beat lowly Washington at home last month, 20-15, Washington sacked Rodgers four times.
“I’ve been watching their game, them against the 49ers. The losses that they did take, it was all because of the pressure, applying as much pressure and get off (the field on) third downs,” Clowney said of Rodgers and the Packers.
“I think it’s going to be the same thing for us. We’ve got to get pressure, and get off on third downs.”
So Clowney will play on, with an abdominal injury that makes jumping, turning and reaching painful and is likely going to require him to have surgery.
“Every week, just something to deal with. I try to manage it through the week and deal with it on Sunday,” he said. “That’s what I try do and do the same thing this week.”
Asked if he is better this week than last, Clowney was less effusive than Carroll—though with the ultra-positive coach, that’s not a surprise.
“About the same,” he said.
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