Clay Matthews was all over the place in the Packers win over the Bears. (Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports)
GREEN BAY, Wisc. — Not an inside linebacker, Clay Matthews can settle for being a versatile matchup problem, if Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy’s plan works.
“We’ll see what it means moving forward,” Matthews said of his Sunday night performance at inside linebacker, including a sack and 11 tackles. “Obviously, it’s a little premature to say this is a switch to middle linebacker or whatever you want to call it.”
The playmaking outside linebacker opened the game standing beside A.J. Hawk at inside linebacker in Green Bay’s four-linebacker formation. While it was Matthews’ first start at the inside spot in his six-year pro career, he has lined up across the formation in situational packages at other points in the season.
Giving him a more extended look at inside ‘backer Sunday came about during Green Bay’s preceding bye week as defensive coordinator Dom Capers looked at ways to bolster his unit’s league-worst run defense.
“Clay gives us a bigger guy inside,” Capers said Monday about the 6-foot-3, 255-pound Matthews. “Obviously, he’s an outstanding player, and I think he’s an outstanding player whether he’s playing inside or outside. I like the fact that we can play him both places. I think it becomes harder for people to prepare for where he’s going to be.”
With the Bears seemingly caught off-guard by Matthews’ alignment, Green Bay’s defense responded by allowing just 55 rushing yards and a puny average of 2.3 yards per attempt in the rematch with Chicago, though the Bears were forced to throw after they fell behind 14-0 in the first quarter. The Packers allowed a season-high 235 rushing yards in the teams’ first meeting in September.
One of Matthews’ two tackles for loss in Sunday’s game included sniffing out an end-around run by receiver Chris Williams for an eight-yard loss. Matthews had nine solo tackles in the game.
By moving Matthews inside, Capers was able to pair Nick Perry, who is stout against the run, opposite Julius Peppers as the starting outside linebackers.
Matthews, who had only 2.5 sacks in Green Bay’s first eight games this season, also created havoc for Bears quarterback Jay Cutler when the linebacker moved outside in passing situations.
“I had like a five-day crash course on middle linebacker over this past week,” Matthews said. “So, going out, there were some reservations about how I was going to play. But, I think when it really comes down to it, in hindsight, it’s just about being an athlete and will and want-to and getting to the ball. Obviously, you have to know where you fit.”
Capers and McCarthy said Monday there’s nothing imminent for Matthews to become a permanent inside linebacker.
“Clay Matthews is not an inside linebacker,” McCarthy asserted. “He’s a football player. It’s really you go back to the meetings in the spring, we talked about it in OTAs (organized team activities), the focus was to play more players on defense, move Clay around and create challenges for the (opposing) offense. So, we’ll see where he plays this week.”
The Packers (6-3) are now getting ready to play host to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.
–Rodgers on Sunday night showed no lingering effects from a pulled hamstring he sustained in the Packers’ pre-bye loss at the New Orleans Saints two weeks earlier. Rodgers passed for a team-record-tying six touchdowns – all in the first half – in Green Bay’s 55-14 rout of the rival Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field. Rodgers finished 18-for-27 for 315 yards with no turnovers for an exceptional passer rating of 145.8 before he exited the game midway through the third quarter.
