The Green Bay Packers did something a little different with their star linebacker Clay Matthews in their defense recently. They moved the prolific pass rusher to middle linebacker in an effort to both contain the middle of the field and generate a pass rush up the middle.
Oct 26, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; Green Bay Packers outside linebacker Clay Matthews (52) against the New Orleans Saints during the second quarter of a game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
The Vikings should be concerned about this because of the recent struggles on the offensive line. They have failed to keep their quarterback upright this year, allowing their quarterback to be sacked on 32 occasions. With Matthews lined up in the middle of the field, the pass rush can come from any direction. That’s a scary thought considering the troubles that the offensive tackles have had containing defenders.
In the game between Green Bay and Minnesota earlier this year, Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder was sacked only once in the contest. Look for Clay Matthews to confuse the offensive line of Minnesota when he does rush the passer.
But blitzing isn’t the only time to fear Clay Matthews in the defense anymore. He has accumulated 13 tackles in the last two games for the Packers after only netting only 15 tackles in his first 8 contests.
Clay Matthews has a sack in each of his last two games since the experiment of moving him to middle linebacker in the Packers defense. It’s possible that the trend could continue through Sunday’s contest against the Minnesota Vikings.
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