Clark wraps up second NFL season
Published 9:54 pm Tuesday, January 8, 2019
- Former King’s Fork High School Chuck Clark just wrapped up his second NFL season when the Baltimore Ravens took a loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in the NFL Playoffs. (Baltimore Ravens photo)
The Baltimore Ravens’ season came to an end Sunday when they fell in the NFL Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs, bringing Chuck Clark’s second season to an end as well.
The Suffolk native took a big step forward in his second NFL season. He experienced his first NFL postseason, as the Ravens made it as the fourth seed in the AFC. They fell to the Los Angeles Chargers, ending their 2018-2019 season.
As a rookie, he was able to come in and make a name for himself on special teams while also flashing as a safety throughout the Ravens defense.
Clark was a standout at King’s Fork High School before going on to do the same at Virginia Tech.
The Ravens had high expectations for Clark for his second season. Dating back to the preseason back in August, Clark found ways to stand out. With the time he was able to play in the preseason, he tied for the league lead in interceptions during the preseason.
Clark saw his first significant action as a safety in the NFL during the regular season. Back in November, starting safety Tony Jefferson went down with an injury during a game against the Oakland Raiders, forcing Clark to step in. He did well enough that game that he reaped the praises from his head coach, Jim Harbaugh.
“Chuck played well, he played really well,” Coach John Harbaugh said. “He played well for us and if Tony can’t go, Chuck can be a solid player for us there in that position, and he can come in and play well.”
That then led to Clark seeing his first action as a starter in the NFL during the regular season. He started two games against the Atlanta Falcons and the Kansas City Chiefs. During the Chiefs game, he earned his first regular-season interception. In his two games as a starter his defense coordinator, Wink Martindale, has this to say about Clark:
“I thought Chuck did a really good job stepping in. That open field tackle to start the game really got him going. I was really happy for him and watching his role expand, and he really stepped in and did a good job for us.”
He finished the season with 16 tackles with one interception and a pass deflection. He has 28 total tackles for his career through two seasons with limited playing time.