HOUSTON — Jadeveon Clowney is already showing how dominant he can be in the NFL.
The top overall pick in the draft made big hits behind the line on consecutive plays and Ryan Fitzpatrick threw a touchdown pass to DeVier Posey in the Texans’ 32-7 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Saturday night.
Houston selected Clowney out of South Carolina to form a powerful 1-2 pass-rushing attack with J.J. Watt. Watt sat out Saturday’s game and Clowney seized the defensive spotlight on Atlanta’s second series.
He burst through the line untouched and crashed into Antone Smith almost the second the running back took a handoff from Matt Ryan. On the next snap, Clowney whipped around left tackle Sam Baker and smacked down Ryan for a 7-yard loss.
“It’s work,” Clowney said. “You just got to work and get after the guys, go hard and hope for something good. You just have to do your job.”
Jonathan Grimes returned a blocked punt for a touchdown and Andre Hal returned an interception 64 yards for another score for the Texans (1-1), who were significantly better than they were in a 32-0 loss to Arizona last week.
Clowney set the tone for the turnaround performance.
“When a guy makes a defensive play that’s a big hit, it really lights up your sideline,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said.