"It was a long comeback," Jadeveon Clowney said Sunday.
The second-year outside linebacker started the Texans season opener against Kansas City just nine months after microfracture surgery on his right knee. Though he was limited in reps, Clowney felt good about his return to the field.
He was also anxious for the entire week leading up to it.
"All week I was like, 'I don't know how it's going to go. I'm ready to play. I'm ready to play,' Clowney said. "Coach (O'Brien) said just let the game come to me and they limited my reps so it was just getting a feel of the game and having fun."
Clowney finished the game with four tackles, including one on Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles behind the line of scrimmage for a loss of a yard. He also stopped Charles on a third down in the third quarter.
"I think he did a good job on that one third-and-1 play," J.J. Watt said. "That was a big play. In the huddle, we talked about it before the play, alerting him to the situation we were in. I think he did a great job taking that information and using it on the play. That was a big third down stop that he got. I think you're going to see him more and more."
The Texans fell in the season opener 27-20 to the Chiefs and will travel to Carolina in Week 2.
"You want to win every game you go out and play," Clowney said. "You can't win them all just give credit to them guys. They came out and did good against us. We've got a lot of work to do to go back in there on Monday and get to work."
Take a look at photos from Sunday's matchup with the Chiefs.
