Packers: 12 stats you need to know about Clay Matthews III
By Jerry Tapp
Now that he has officially retired from the NFL, it’s time to close the book on Clay Matthews’ career, a career that spanned 11 seasons including 10 years with the Green Bay Packers.
Matthews was a two-time All-Pro selection, a six-time Pro Bowler and a Super Bowl champion with the Pack.
Here are 12 stats you need to know about Matthews:
1. Matthews had five or more sacks in nine straight seasons with Green Bay. The only other Packer to have a longer streak was Willie Davis who had five or more sacks in 10 straight seasons.
2. Clay was a first-round selection (26th overall pick) of the Pack in 2009 NFL Draft out of USC. He is one of 86 players drafted in the first round from USC in the history of the draft.
3. In his career, Matthews had 91.5 sacks, six interceptions and three TDs. He is one of only seven players to have 90 sacks, six interceptions and three TDs in a career. The others: Jared Allen, Chris Doleman, Julius Peppers, Joey Porter, Terrell Suggs and Jason Taylor.
4. Matthews holds the Packers record for most sacks in the postseason with 11. Reggie White is second on the list with eight.
5. He is one of 99 players in NFL history to have 10 or more sacks in four or more seasons. Willie Davis tops the list with five such seasons; Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila and Reggie White each had four such seasons to tie Matthews.
6. Clay was born on May 14. Of the 54 NFL players born on that day, Matthews holds the top spot with six Pro Bowls.
7. Matthews is one of 35 players to have 500 combined tackles, 90 sacks and 15 forced fumbles in a career (he had 519 combined tackles, 91.5 sacks and 17 forced fumbles).
8. He appeared on the NFL Top 100 players list seven times. His highest spot on the list was #19 in 2011.
9. All six of his interceptions came in games won by Green Bay.
10. His career high for sacks in a game was 3.5 versus the Bears on September 13, 2012.
11. Matthews had three or more sacks in a game four times. He is one of 66 players to reach that stat. Reggie White and Lawrence Taylor top the NFL career list with 12 games with three or more sacks. Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila holds the Packers career mark with six games with three or more sacks.
12. Matthews was the third player from USC selected in the first round of the ’09 draft. Quarterback Mark Sanchez was selected #5 by the New York Jets; linebacker Brian Cushing was the 15th choice of the Houston Texans.