Defensive end Jadeveon Clowney is no longer with the Houston Texans. Instead, his NFL career continues in a new city as the Seattle Seahawks traded for the three-time Pro Bowler Saturday during the flurry for all teams to get to a 53-man roster by the 3:00 p.m. Central deadline.
Even though the former 2014 No. 1 overall pick will be in the NFC West in 2019, Clowney still had some memorable games with the Texans. Here are six games from Clowney’s career in Houston worth highlighting.
6. 2016, Week 14 at indianapolis
The Texans were riding a three-game losing streak and heading into a franchise house of horrors at Lucas Oil Stadium with boogeyman-in-chief Andrew Luck under center. Houston won the first encounter of the year barely in overtime. In a competitive AFC South race and looking to get out of the slump, the Texans needed their key players to step up. Clowney, who had shouldered the burden of the defense with defensive end J.J. Watt out three games into the season, produced three combined tackles, 1.0 sack, three quarterback hits, and a forced fumble. Clowney put his thumb on the scale, and Brock Osweiler was able to out duel Luck en route to a 22-17 win and a sweep of the Colts.
5. 2016, afc wild-card vs. oakland
The Raiders were starting rookie Connor Cook for an injured Derek Carr, and the Texans needed to rattle the young quarterback early. Midway through the first quarter, up 3-0, Clowney picked off a pass intended for running back Latavius Murray deep in the Raiders’ red zone. An unnecessary roughness penalty against the Raiders pushed the Texans’ starting position at Oakland’s 4-yard line, where running back Lamar Miller needed one play to punch it in. Clowney also managed to bat down two passes and record a solo tackle in the Texans’ 27-14 win over the Raiders.
4. 2017, week 11 vs. arizona
The Texans were in an awful situation with defensive end J.J. Watt again lost for the season and sensational rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson also gone for the season. Houston sat at 3-6 with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans starting to run away with the AFC South. Houston needed something to get back in the hunt. Clowney harassed Cardinals quarterback Blaine Gabbert with 2.0 sacks and three quarterback hits. Clowney also had five combined tackles and three tackles for loss, helping the Texans prevail 31-21, improving their record to 4-6, and attempting to restore the season.
3. 2018, week 7 at jacksonville
The Texans offense was stagnant after winning its 37-34 shootout with the Indianapolis Colts in Week 4 that took literally every second of all five periods. Houston managed 19 points in a win versus Dallas, and 13 against Buffalo, and perhaps would have gone into another overtime if not for cornerback Johnathan Joseph’s pick-six. With quarterback Deshaun Watson playing through a rib injury and the run game equally as battered, it was up to the defense. Clowney came through with 2.0 sacks, four quarterback hits, seven solo tackles, two tackles for loss, and even a fumble recovery. The game will be remembered for Watson riding a bus from Houston to Jacksonville to manage the discomfort of his rib injury, but Clowney had one of his best games in the 20-7 win that was Houston’s fourth on a nine-game streak.
2. 2017, week 3 at new england
The Texans got their Week 2 Thursday night win at Cincinnati to offset their disastrous Opening Day loss versus Jacksonville. Now, they would go to New England in Week 3, a true test for rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson. Clowney not only sacked quarterback Tom Brady twice, but he hit him three times. Clowney also produced 22-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown and four tackles for loss. His efforts were enough to keep the game close, yet the Patriots prevailed 36-33.
1. 2018, week 4 at indianapolis
There is something about three-time losing streaks and heading to Indianapolis to face Andrew Luck that brings out the best in Clowney. 2018 was more despondent than ever. The club was starting 0-3 with J.J. Watt and Deshaun Watson fully healthy. There was no reason to have a goose egg in the win column this far into September. Clowney was the spark the Texans needed as he sacked Luck twice, knocked him around four times, produced four tackles for loss, and recovered a fumble in the end zone. Even though it was a shootout, Clowney’s fumble recovery was a critical part of keeping the Texans in it and ultimately overcoming the Colts.
