Jadeveon Clowney played in a game Sunday for the first time since November 1.
He tallied a half sack and a batted pass, and was a difference-maker.
"I thought he was able to disrupt," head coach Bill O'Brien said on Monday. "He was disruptive."
Clowney was glad to be back with his teammates.
"It's great," the 2014 first overall pick said. "I had fun out there. We got the win, and I'm excited for the team."
The outside linebacker left the Week 8 victory over Tennessee with a back injury. In on 58 percent of the team's defensive snaps, Clowney was utilized in a variety of ways, both on the inside and outside of the defensive line.
"Playing inside isn't an easy task, but it was fun," Clowney said. "We got pressure on the quarterback. A lot of pressure caused some interceptions and everything, tipped passes, so I think it was good to help the defense out and we won the game."
Team chairman and CEO Bob McNair was glad to see Clowney back as well. He was encouraged by his play, and said Clowney is "getting there".
For O'Brien, it's simply a matter of health for the second-year defender.
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"He's been unlucky in certain regards," O'Brien said. "If he can stay healthy and string together some practices, string together some games, because the way that you get better is by practicing and playing. So if you practice and you play all the time then you're going to get better. The more you practice, the more you play, the better you get."
He has 1.5 sacks, four batted passes and 23 tackles this season.
Clowney and the players are off on Tuesday and will return to the Houston Methodist Training Center on Wednesday for practice.
Check out some of the best cheerleader photos from Sunday's game against the Jets.
