Is Clay Matthews Already Showing Decline?

Is Clay Matthews already in decline for the Green Bay Packers in just his sixth NFL season?

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The Green Bay Packers’ defense has been playing much better this season than it has over the last couple of years, but that doesn’t have too much to do with Clay Matthews. Matthews has played in all six games so far this year, but has recorded just 14 total tackles, 1.0 sacks, one forced fumble, and an interception. He has shown major decline in his sack production over the last couple of years, and it is beginning to worry the Packers a bit.

Is Matthews already beginning to show decline, or is it simply because he has dealt with some nagging injury issues?

From Bleacher Report:

"In his rookie season of 2009, Matthews kicked off his career by recording 10 sacks for the season. In three of his first four seasons, he matched or beat the 10-sack mark. With 7.5 sacks last season and the projected 2.5 sacks coming for 2014, it’ll have taken Matthews two years to reach that double-digit benchmark.Once a promising young pass-rusher in the league, he’s just simply not performing in 2014 like he did previously in his Green Bay tenure."

Obviously having Matthews already begin to decline at the age of 28 would be a tough blow for the Packers’ defense moving forward. He has been one of the most dominant pass rushers in the NFL throughout his career, but has been very injury plagued as well. Needless to say, the Packers are hoping that he is able to pick things up throughout the rest of the season and prove this theory wrong.

Matthews has totaled 51.0 sacks throughout his six-year NFL career so far, and has forced 11 fumbles as well. He has been a pass rushing specialist throughout his career, and has been the Packers’ only playmaker on the defensive side of the football for a couple of those seasons as well. Perhaps the wear and tear of having to be the primary playmaker is beginning to get to him.

All of that being said, there is also the chance that the nagging injuries that he has faced the last couple of seasons has simply tired him out a bit. His struggles of late aren’t necessarily due to him being in “decline” and could be more of a short-term concern. The Packers obviously are hoping for that to be the case, especially with their pass rush not being very strong as is.

Expect this question to be answered over the course of the rest of the season, and for him to show whether or not he has much gas left in the tank.

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