Packers linebacker Clay Matthews played on 84 percent of the team’s defensive snaps in Miami last Sunday, but he didn’t have much to show for his efforts.
Matthews was credited with no tackles or sacks during the 27-24 victory, which continued a season-long trend of missing impact on the stat sheet. Matthews has one sack and 18 tackles for the year and said Wednesday that “I can be better” while noting the impact that facing teams running read-option looks on offense has had on his ability to play the same way he has in the past.
“I think statistically obviously you’d love to have more stats in that regards, but I know the sacks will come and the numbers will always be there,” Matthews said, via ESPN.com. “But at the same time, I think you have to look at the evolution of offenses that we continue to play, especially with the zone-read and them knowing the guys who we possess on this side of the ball about stopping that first line of defense, being us rushers. You saw that last week with having us kind of read and react in playing that offense.”
Stats aren’t everything, of course, and Matthews’s teammate Julius Peppers said that the linebacker “adds a threat” that doesn’t necessarily translate to numbers. They’re likely to need both the threat and the production this weekend as the Panthers are likely to bring a fair amount of read-option with them after running Cam Newton a lot last Sunday.