Film Breakdown: Seahawks DE Jadeveon Clowney Wrecks 49ers in Prime Time
Coaches, analysts, and fans alike throw around the term “unblockable” far too frequently these days. But if there’s a player who proved himself worthy of such classification, Jadeveon Clowney’s one-man assault on Monday Night Football last week fits the bill.
Constantly in the backfield, the Seahawks star defensive end tortured the 49ers offensive line all evening long, finishing with five tackles, five quarterback hits, a sack, and a fumble returned for a touchdown during a 27-24 victory at Levis Stadium. And those statistics only paint a partial picture of how dominant Clowney was.
Even when he wasn’t making tackles himself, Clowney single-handedly destroyed San Francisco’s game plan, making life easier for his teammates and leading to several additional hits and sacks on quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
Seattle envisioned Clowney becoming this kind of a disruptive force when the team acquired him via trade from Houston on August 31 for a third-round pick and reserve linebackers Jacob Martin and Barkevious Mingo. It took time for him to learn the system and find his groove, but he looks mighty comfortable now with six games left to play.
“He had so many impact plays. Such a significant role in the night,” coach Pete Carroll reflected on Monday. “I think he affected the guys around him, most obviously, in terms of our pass rush, pressure on the QB, and just the activity. This was his best game. It’s looked like he should have numbers and stuff like that in what we’ve seen.”
Looking back at Monday’s win, what made Clowney’s outing such a special one? Check out my latest film breakdown as I revisit him turning in a performance for the ages against the 49ers as both a pass rusher and run defender.
