One scary Clowney face
Texans DE a legitimate force
FOXBORO — Jadeveon Clowney has gone from potential bust to pass-rushing beast in his third NFL season.
Houston selected the defensive end with the first overall pick in the 2014 draft, and after being slowed by injuries in his first two years, everything has clicked for Clowney this season.
He was named to the Pro Bowl, voted a second-team All-Pro, and after J.J. Watt was placed on injured reserve with a back injury, Clowney emerged as the poster child for the league’s top-ranked defense that has an AFC divisional round date with the Patriots on Saturday at Gillette Stadium.
Clowney’s regular-season success carried into the first round of the playoffs, as he was an absolute menace in Saturday’s wild card win against the Raiders.
Oakland’s game plan was heavy with screen passes in an attempt to ease the burden on rookie quarterback Connor Cook in his first career start, and Clowney was ready. He swatted a short pass to the turf on the Raiders’ first possession and one-upped himself on their second.
The Raiders tried to throw another screen to alleviate the pressure on Cook, and again Clowney got his hands on the ball again, this time tipping it up to himself and making an interception.
The takeaway caught the eye of Patriots coach Bill Belichick.
“The interception he made on the screen last week against Oakland was not only a very athletic play but a very instinctive play for him to recognize that and get out there,” Belichick said. “With his length, he’s a tough guy to throw around.”
Clowney boasts a 6-foot6, 267-pound frame, and a postgame photograph of him towering over the ESPN crew interviewing him went viral. If the Texans continue to deploy Clowney in the style they have, he’ll be seeing a lot of Pats offensive tackle Nate Solder.
“You see the guy, and he’s naturally very gifted,” Solder said. “He’s big, he’s long, he’s very fast, he’s competitive, and he’s playing really well right now. He’s got some great coaches there, they’ve got him doing the right things, playing real tough ball.”
Solder and the Patriots offensive line got the better of Clowney during the teams’ first meeting in Foxboro this season. Clowney was held to a single solo tackle in Houston’s 27-0 loss but wasn’t alone in terms of underachieving Texans that night.
While the Pats will study film of that victory, they’re preparing for a different Texans team this time.
“This is a whole different animal we’re playing,” Solder said. “A long ways away from where they were before, and we know that.”
Solder emphasized the Pats will face a defense that doesn’t beat itself.
“They’re doing some scheme stuff differently, but they’re playing great ball,” Solder said. “They’re making it hard on you. They’re not giving up a lot of easy completions or anything like that. You’re going to earn everything you get.”