Clay Matthews Has Put Himself in the Running for Defensive Player of the Year

Clay Matthews has a Super Bowl ring. He’s earned first-team All-Pro honors and been to five Pro Bowls. In 2010, he won the Butkus Award and was named NFC and Pro Football Writers of America Defensive Player of the Year.

Judging by his start to the 2015 season, Matthews is determined to add an NFL Defensive Player of the Year award to his haul.

Several defensive players have impressed through five weeks of the NFL season, but none has been more thrilling than the Packers' high-octane linebacker.

Matthews has more sacks than Von Miller and more tackles than DeMarcus Ware. Neither Denver linebacker has an interception, unlike Matthews.

In recent years, the Defensive Player of the Year has been awarded to the league’s most impactful player. J.J. Watt’s superhuman effort earned him the award last year. Luke Keuchly was the winner in 2013 after recording 156 tackles, two sacks and four interceptions in his sophomore season.

And that impact is being felt this year in Green Bay, where Matthews is spearheading a defense that ranks second in the league in sacks.

Versatility has proven to be a favorite among voters. In 2014, Watt scored three offensive touchdowns, and though Matthews’ transition to inside linebacker may not be as complex as the one from defense to offense, it’s an adjustment he’s made with astonishing ease.

The 29-year-old has 4.5 sacks for the season, including this one against the San Francisco 49ers, per the NFL:

"

Clay Matthews sacks Colin Kaepernick Clay Matthews does the Kap bicep kiss dance. #GBvsSF http://t.co/QvRDBgAXFu

— NFL (@NFL) October 4, 2015"

That was one of 20 sacks the Packers have this season.

If it’s true that Aaron Rodgers improves his wide receivers, then the same can be said for Matthews’ influence on the Packers pass-rushers.

His mere presence inside is forcing offensive linemen to stay honest, unsure if Matthews is going to hurl toward them or drop into coverage. By drawing attention, Matthews creates more one-on-one matchups elsewhere.

The effect is in the numbers. Through five games, Julius Peppers has 4.5 sacks, Nick Perry has 3.5, Mike Daniels has 2.5 and Mike Neal has 1.5. All four are on pace to record more sacks in 2015 than they managed last year.

So too is Matthews. And when he gets through, the results are brutal, as Nick Foles will attest, per Zach Kruse:

 …and Alex Smith, per Stephen Nelson:

He’s pretty useful in pass coverage, too, as shown by an interception against the Chicago Bears in Week 1, per the NFL.

Matthews’ intelligence, speed and awareness were all displayed on that play. His intelligence is often understated, but he knew where the ball was headed as soon it was snapped.

Pause at the 43-second mark, and you’ll see the ground the linebacker makes up to intercept the pass. He’s roughly five yards from Martellus Bennett when Jay Cutler releases the ball but manages to dart ahead of the tight end before it reaches him.

And, not intent on admiring his catch, Matthews returns it 42 yards into Chicago territory. (Morgan Burnett, take note.)

Matthews has played 98.8 percent of snaps (325 of 329) for the Packers, per SportingCharts, which is an impressive stat. When you take into consideration Matthews’ full-throttle playing style, it becomes a remarkable one.

By comparison, Miller has played 77.3 percent of snaps for Denver.

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers can be credited for Matthews’ move to inside linebacker, an inspired move that is paying huge dividends for Green Bay. This video by the Packers website highlights how the timing of Matthews’ blitzes caused panic among the Kansas City Chiefs offensive line in Week 3. 

Aaron Rodgers may be taking the plaudits, but the defense is playing stellar football, per NFL.com: 

Credit: NFL.com

And Matthews is the linchpin of that defense. He’s a different type of leader to Rodgers—he’s wild and frenzied, as opposed to Rodgers’ calm approach, but he commands the same level of respect and admiration as the Packers quarterback.

Matthews is yet to receive Pro Bowl honors as an inside linebacker, but Capers thinks that may be about to change, per the Packers Twitter feed.

"

Capers on Clay Matthews: He's a unique guy. I always felt like he'd be a Pro Bowl outside or Pro Bowl inside linebacker.

— Green Bay Packers (@packers) October 5, 2015"

The Matthews family is arguably football’s most successful. Clay’s father, also named Clay, earned three All-Pro and four Pro Bowl selections; his uncle, Bruce, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2007; and his cousin, Jake, was a first-round draft pick last year.

They might have to make space on the mantelpiece for a Defensive Player of the Year Award come season’s end.