Clay Matthews

Packers Defense A Weak Link That Just Can’t Get Torched

... in the Super Bowl chase. “We realized who we were playing,’ Matthews said of the Cowboys. “That’s probably the best team in the NFL. They got a number of playmakers on their team. We did just enough. In the playoffs that’s all you need to do.’. In the playoffs, the Packers will need to do it again, as their reward for dispatching the No. 1 seed in the NFC is Sunday’s date with the No. 2 seed Falcons in an NFC Championship game in Atlanta that features Rodgers and Matt Ryan, the two quarterbacks operating at a higher level than anyone else, including Tom Brady. All Ryan did in a 36-20 divisional round dismantling of the Seahawks is throw for 338 yards and three touchdowns and now takes aim at a depleted Green Bay secondary that nearly withered down the stretch under the spell of Prescott, a postseason novice who tossed two fourth-quarter touchdown passes to turn a 28-13 deficit into a 28-all tie in the closing minute. ...

Clay Matthews, Nick Perry Fight Through Injuries To Provide Pass Rush Punch

... Dec. 24, 2016, in Green Bay. Packers: Clay Matthews, Nick Perry fight through injuries to provide pass rush punch. GENARO C. ARMAS AP Sports Writer. Dec 30, 2016. MATT LUDTKE, ASSOCIATED PRESS. Minnesota's Sam Bradford fumbles as he is hit by Green Bay's Clay Matthews during the first half of the Packers' 38-25 win over the Vikings on Saturday, Dec. 24, 2016, in Green Bay. GREEN BAY —. The star pass rusher has a sore left shoulder. The team leader in sacks played with a thick wrap resembling a large oven mitt protecting his injured left hand. Clay Matthews and Nick Perry are nowhere close to 100 percent healthy. But the Green Bay Packers' outside linebackers head into the regular season-ending showdown in Detroit for the NFC North title with momentum after powering through their injuries against Minnesota last weekend. "They're our bookends, they're our pass rushers. It's obviously a premiere position on defense for anybody and these guys have been battling injuries all ...

Packers Need To Blow Up D, Stop Blowing It For Aaron Rodgers

... playmakers than the Packers on defense, yet they had the energy to execute. The Packers no longer can dial up a relentless Matthews and hope everyone follows suit. It doesn't happen like it once did. Atlanta made a tough call to move on from Mike Smith and hire a defensive-minded successor in Quinn, but the move has created a fresh approach and the emphasis now is on finding personnel to match and thrive in Quinn's system. Getting faster and more physical on defense has played a part in Ryan once again leading a Super Bowl contender and, now, a Super Bowl contestant. Quinn stressed the team that played the better overall "complementary" football on Sunday would win. That team, hands down, was the Falcons. MORE: Freeney says Falcons have 'one of the best defenses out there'. Meanwhile, the Packers remain lost when Rodgers can't stake them to a lead at will. Sunday was a reminder they wouldn't have pushed the Cardinals to overtime without him last postseason, or overcome giving up too many catch-up points and yards to the Cowboys this postseason. If Green Bay doesn't want to follow the Falcons' lead, it should look at Pittsburgh. It kept the core ...

Conference Championship Matchups

... possibility on Sunday. Players to Watch. ATL: (RB) Devonta Freeman / (WR) Julio Jones. GB: (LB) Clay Matthews / (CB) Damarious Randall. Game Pick: Atlanta Falcons. Pittsburgh Steelers vs. New England Patriots. Sunday 6:40 PM E. T. Players to Watch. Sure, Mason Crosby’s two clutch fourth quarter field goals were impressive, but for Steelers kicker Chris Boswell to score all 18 of his team’s points in last week’s win against the Chiefs…wow. That’s six field goals in a game that resulted in a final score of 18-16; nothing short of clutch here. This, however, doesn’t bode well for the Steelers, considering they weren’t able to make it down the field frequently neither convert in the red-zone. Regardless, it’ll be up to the Steelers secondary’s ability to stop Tom Brady if they want to proceed to the Super Bowl, and the ability is definitely there. Depth at the linebacker position for the Pittsburgh is astounding; with names like James Harrison, Ryan Shazier, Lawrence Timmons, and Jarvis Jones, the ...

Green Bay Atlanta Nfc Championship Game Matchup Of Matthews Cousins Jake And Clay Continues A 66 Year Tradition

... helped Green Bay defeat Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XLV in 2011. Jake Matthews has extra incentive for Super Bowl LI on Feb. 5 in Houston; he grew up in suburban Missouri City. Jake is assigned to protect Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan’s blindside. Clay III is a sack specialist. The cousin-on-cousin battle didn’t materialize during Atlanta’s thrilling 33-32 victory over Green Bay at the Georgia Dome on Oct. 30; Clay III was out with a hamstring injury. The only other meeting was in 2014, Jake’s rookie season, when Atlanta lost to Green Bay at Lambeau Field, 43-37. “The whole family is excited,” Jake told Fox Sports this week. “I’m ready to get after him.”. Matty Matthews: Boxing, baseball and track coach at the Citadel. Matty’s son. - Clay Matthews Sr. didn’t just play football at Georgia Tech, he won two SEC wrestling titles and was on the swim team. He played for the 49 ers for four seasons. Other players in the 1949 NFL draft with Matthews Sr.: Hall of Famers Chuck Bednarik, Doak Walker, Norm Van Brocklin and George Blanda. Clay Sr.’s sons. - Clay Matthews Jr., the Cleveland ...

Clay Matthews Shoulders Load For Packers' Defense

... Packers’ eight-point lead at the time. With Bradford’s quick release, Matthews initially worried the quarterback might get the ball out, but he didn’t. After Matthews stripped the ball free, defensive tackle. jumped on it to secure the turnover. The Packers have generated 12 takeaways in the last three games, including the defense’s recovery of a Minnesota botched snap in the second quarter. “It was good for him to get back out there and make plays,” linebacker. Julius Peppers. said. “I think it gave him confidence to have those plays early. We’ll look for that to carry over and I think it gave a shot to the whole team.”. While the strip-sack was a game-changing play, Matthews also batted down two Bradford passes at the line of scrimmage in third-down situations, forced a holding call, and generated a handful of other incompletions off hits and pressure. As a defense, the Packers sacked Bradford four times with eight hits. Linebacker. Nick Perry. , who had two sacks to get to 10 on the season, credited the increased defensive pressure to a more active Matthews. “He creates mismatches,” said Perry, who returned after missing two games with a hand injury. “They have ...

Largely Invisible, Packers Need Clay Matthews To Step Up Against Falcons

... soldier when he moved to inside to help improve the defense but ultimately wanted to play on the edge so that he could rush the passer. One of the concerns, when he returned back to the edge, was his durability. Matthews did not miss a game when he played inside linebacker. He has missed time this season and played hobbled at other times while in the lineup. He’s currently playing with a shoulder injury that has hampered him since being blindsided by offensive lineman Alan Barbre in a late November contest against the Philadelphia Eagles. Since the playoffs began, Matthews has been largely invisible. He made one impact play against the New York Giants with a strip sack of Eli Manning. The play resulted in a fumble recovery for Matthews and essentially ended any hope that the Giants had of a comeback. That was a big play for Matthews, but it’s also the only impact play that he has made since the playoffs began. Matthews was largely silent during the team’s ...

Pro Football Hall Of Fame Finalists Announced; Clay Matthews Not On List

... Vikings. * Tony Boselli, Tackle – 1995-2001 Jacksonville Jaguars. * Isaac Bruce, Wide Receiver – 1994-2007 Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams, 2008-09 San Francisco 49 ers. * Don Coryell, Coach – 1973-77 St. Louis Cardinals, 1978-1986 San Diego Chargers. * Terrell Davis, Running Back – 1995-2001 Denver Broncos. * Brian Dawkins, Safety – 1996-2008 Philadelphia Eagles, 2009-2011 Denver Broncos. * Alan Faneca, Guard – 1998-2007 Pittsburgh Steelers, 2008-09 New York Jets, 2010 Arizona Cardinals. * Joe Jacoby, Tackle – 1981-1993 Washington Redskins. * Ty Law, Cornerback – 1995-2004 New England Patriots, 2005, 2008 New York Jets, 2006-07 Kansas City Chiefs, 2009 Denver Broncos. * John Lynch, Free Safety – 1993-2003 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2004-07 Denver Broncos. * Kevin Mawae, Center/Guard – 1994-97 Seattle Seahawks, 1998-2005 New York Jets, 2006-09 Tennessee Titans. * Terrell Owens, Wide Receiver – 1996-2003 San Francisco 49 ers, 2004-05 Philadelphia Eagles, 2006-08 Dallas Cowboys, 2009 Buffalo Bills, 2010 Cincinnati Bengals. * Jason Taylor, Defensive End – 1997-2007, 2009, 2011 Miami ...