SideLion Report » Clay Matthews

Detroit Lions Won’t Have to Worry About Clay Matthews

Zac Snyder — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 23:38:48 +0000

December 12, 2010; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions wide receiver Nate Burleson (13) looks downfield as Green Bay Packers linebacker Clay Matthews (52) moves in for the tackle during the fourth quarter at Ford Field. Detroit wins 7-3. Mandatory Credit: Michael Sackett-US PRESSWIRE

The Green Bay Packers hoped the bye week would allow for some much needed healing. While the bye week was just what Jordy Nelson needed – he is expected to play on Sunday – the week off wasn’t enough for Clay Matthews.

Matthews has been a terror to opposing offenses from the first day he stepped on an NFL field but he won’t be a concern for the Lions this Sunday. He suffered a hamstring injury in the Packers’ week nine win over the Arizona Cardinals. The immediate thought was that Matthews would miss a couple weeks so it is not surprising that he has been ruled out already.

According to head coach Mike McCarthy, Matthews won’t be easy to replace:

“I don’t think you can ever measure what Clay Matthews means to your football team,” McCarthy said. “He’s clearly one of the best defensive players in the game in my opinion. He’s a dynamic player, he’s someone that we try to do a lot with. He gives us excellent flexibility schematically. He has an outstanding skill set and is an impact player. We’re more focused on utilizing the players that are available for this week.”

The Lions offense needs to avoid the slow starts that have plagued them through most of the 2012 season. The absence of Matthews is an opportunity the Lions need to take advantage of if they are to defeat the Packers.

Super Bowl Stats

Ross Husson — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 23:05:18 +0000

As we all know the Packers will play the Steelers in Super Bowl XLV on Sunday. I’ve decided to compare Green Bay and Pittsburgh through a number of statistics. I will then state who is better and has the advantage in that specific stat. Here we go.

Passing Offense

The Packers and Steelers were similar statistically in this category during the regular season. Both Aaron Rodgers and Ben Roethlisberger ranked in the top ten in passing yardage per game in the regular season. The two quarterback were almost identical in that stat, Rodgers averaged 248.6 yards per game and Roethlisberger averaged 248.3 yards per game. Rodgers had a 101.2 QB Rating while Roethlisberger’s rating was 97. Green Bay threw the ball more in the regular season and as a result had 9 more passing touchdowns.

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Detroit Lions-Green Bay Packers Q&A with Lombardi Ave

Zac Snyder — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 16:45:19 +0000

Melinda Banks, a Green Bay Packers blogger at Lombardi Ave, and I took some time to exchange questions and answers in preparation of the Lions game against the Packers. Head over to Melinda’s site to check out my answers to her questions.

Zac Snyder: A lot football has been played since the Lions and Packers last faced each other. What differences, good or bad, do you see in the Packers now compared to earlier in the season?

Melinda Banks: When we started out the season, there was a lot of “hype”, we were being picked as Super Bowl favorites before we even stepped on to the field. Since then we have suffered catastrophic injuries, as a result, I think the team has become more humble and more focused on the next game instead of a post season. We’ve had 13 players go out on IR this year, and luckily we’ve had some back ups step in to keep us in the hunt. Losing 4 games by 3 points each just shows how close we are, even without 5 of our starters.

ZS: How big of a concern is the running back by committee approach the Packers are taking with Ryan Grant out for the year? Will they be able to run the ball well enough to make a deep playoff run?

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