Jadeveon Clowney "Unlikely To Play On Monday Night" Against Bengals

2015 has been rough on Jadeveon Clowney. Not as rough as 2014 was, but Clowney has dealt with several injuries throughout the first half of the season. The latest was a back injury against the Titans approximately two weeks ago. According to Bill O'Brien, the latest brick in the wall will likely keep the first overall pick of the 2014 NFL Draft out against the Bengals on Monday Night Football.

"I would say day-to-day again," head coach Bill O’Brien said Friday. "I don’t, I really don’t know. He’s dealing with a back issue and it’s painful, so we’ve got to give it a little more time. I would say he would be unlikely to play on Monday night though."

Given the Texans' anemic pass rush from everyone not named J.J. Watt and perhaps--PERHAPS--Whitney Mercilus, this news does not bode well for Houston's chances of slowing down Cincinnati's offense on Monday night. Nevertheless, I remind myself that I didn't expect anything from Clowney this year, less than a year removed from microfracture surgery. While some may criticize him for being injury-prone, I'm not willing to go there. Jadeveon Clowney has shown flashes of being a true difference-maker far more quickly than I thought he would, so I'm not going to freak out over him likely missing another game in 2015.  After he got hurt the way he did in 2014, 2016 was always the realistic target for Clowney becoming what the Texans thought he would be when they took him No. 1 in 2014.

/takes swig of beer
/stares blankly at wall, jutting chin out and trying not to cry

UPDATE: As expected, Jadeveon Clowney will not play against the Bengals on Monday Night Football.

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