Clowney looks forward to first NFL playoff game

Jadeveon Clowney can’t wait for his first career playoff appearance after missing Houston’s postseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs last season with a foot injury.

“It’s going to be great,” he said. “I was mad last year. I missed it and I was real upset I couldn’t get out there with my teammates. This year, I’m going to try and get out there with them and try to help win another game and keep going forward.”

Clowney and the Texans are headed to the playoffs after surviving a scare from the Cincinnati Bengals to get a 12-10 victory on Saturday night that clinched their second straight AFC South title.

Tom Savage threw for 176 yards in his first career start and the Bengals missed a field goal as time expired to give the Texans the win.

The Bengals converted a fourth down play to keep a drive alive, but four plays later, former Texan Randy Bullock missed wide right on a 43-yard attempt, securing Houston’s victory.

Clowney, the top overall pick in the 2014 draft who had a sack on Saturday, felt a rush of emotions when he saw that Bullock’s kick was no good.

“Champs. That’s all I was thinking right there,” he said. “We did it. We won the division. Go on to something new. What’s next? Scratch it off. Get ready for the playoffs.”

Savage helped the Texans (9-6) rally for a win over the Jaguars last week after taking over when Brock Osweiler was benched after throwing interceptions on back-to-back possessions in the second quarter.

The Texans knew they were in the postseason with a win after the Titans fell to the Jaguars earlier Saturday. But it didn’t look good for them early with Savage completing just two passes for 13 yards and them trailing 3-0 at halftime.

Cincinnati (6-8-1) went on top when Andy Dalton found Brandon LaFell on a short pass and he took it 86 yards for a touchdown that made it 10-6 with about 11 minutes left.

A 24-yard touchdown run by Alfred Blue put the Texans back on top with about nine minutes left, but the extra point was blocked to leave Houston up 12-10. That score was set up by a 21-yard reception by DeAndre Hopkins.

This story was originally published December 25, 2016 at 11:48 PM.