Cheesehead
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- Mar 19, 2019
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GREEN BAY – For a kid who grew up in California and attended college near home at UCLA, Kenny Clark has had no problem whatsoever getting acclimated to December football in Green Bay.
With temperatures hovering in the teens all afternoon, the Packers’ 24-year-old defensive lineman continued to mount another late-season surge with eight tackles (three for a loss) and two sacks in Sunday’s 21-13 win over the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field.
That gives Clark 3½ sacks over the past two games and five total on the season, trailing only Preston (11½) and Za’Darius (10) Smith for the team lead. Coincidentally, eight of Clark’s 15½ career sacks have come in the month of December.
When asked about his penchant for playing his best down the stretch, the fourth-year veteran said after Sunday’s game he was unaware of those numbers. However, Clark won’t deny feeling in a groove, especially after weathering a 10-week midseason stretch without a sack.
“It feels good. I’ve been pressuring the quarterback all year,” he said. “For them to finally start coming and coming how they are in bunches, that’s great. Hopefully, I can keep this train going.”
After recording a half sack in the opener against Chicago and another in Week 2 against Minnesota, Clark had to remain patient prior to his 1½-sack day last Sunday against Washington.
Even when the sacks weren’t piling up, Clark didn’t over-pursue to make them happen. An important cog in the middle of the defense, he still entered Sunday’s game with the fourth-most pressures among qualifying defensive tackles, according to Pro Football Focus.
After the stars aligned last week against Washington, Clark picked up right where he left off when he dropped Bears running back Tarik Cohen for a 3-yard loss on the second offensive play of the game. On the next series, he sacked Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky for a 7-yard loss to force the first of back-to-back three-and-outs.