Written by Sarah Barshop at ESPN.com
Jadeveon Clowney walked into his postgame news conference Saturday and seemed excited about what had just transpired in the Houston Texans’ 27-14 playoff victory over the Oakland Raiders.
“I told y’all,” he said.
He was talking about the Texans winning a playoff game, but he might as well have been talking about the season he has had in leading Houston’s No. 1-ranked defense.
Clowney has become the player the Texans were hoping for when they drafted him No. 1 in 2014. He dealt with injuries in his first two seasons, playing in just 17 of 32 games. This season, he has been the Texans’ best defensive player.
The defensive end is living up to the hype. His play, along with that of outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus, has been pivotal for the Texans, as three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt played in just three games due to injury.
Their front seven is one of the best in the league. If quarterback Brock Osweiler can play as well as he did on Saturday, the Texans might become the latest team to make a playoff run based on a stalwart defense.
Clowney and the rest of the Texans’ defense has made big plays all season. The pivotal moment in Saturday’s game came in the first quarter, deep in Raiders territory, when Clowney knocked Connor Cook’s pass out of the air and juggled the ball until he caught it for his first career interception. One play later, running back Lamar Miller ran in for the first touchdown of the game, giving Houston a 10-0 lead.
Texans coach Bill O’Brien said Clowney made “a great play” on the ball, something he has done all season.
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