Houston Texans: Three players key to stopping the Colts offense

Jadeveon Clowney, DE/OLB

Jadeveon Clowney is turning in his finest season in the final year of his contract. After fighting off the bust label early in his career, he has more than proved his worth. Clowney is, arguably, asked to do the most out of anyone on this defense.

Romeo Crennel asks Clowney to do so much on a game by game basis, it’s insane. Clowney primarily lines up on the edge where he can exercise his full skill set but he is also the Houston Texans greatest chess piece. He’ll line up as a linebacker in the middle or standing up shading the center or with a hand or two in the dirt ready to burst across the line.

There is no area where he truly struggles, even when he is asked to drop in the flat and into coverage. His pass rushing numbers have never jumped off of the page but he impacts what quarterbacks can do on nearly every passing down. He only has nine sacks but he has 21 QB hits and over 40 pressures.

The area Clowney shines most brightly in is in run defense. He is, without a doubt, the Texans best run defender. He nearly always takes excellent angles and utilizes his great speed to burst through holes and bring down the ball carriers.

The Texans are going to need Clowney to continue the dominant streak he’s been building on the final month or so of the season. Of course, J.J. Watt will set the tone for the defense as always but Clowney performing at a high level will be key to shutting down both the running game and passing game. This means being patient and not having the mental lapses of jumping offside and lining up in the neutral zone.