Jadeveon Clowney dominates the Atlanta Falcons on two straight plays

Just imagine what Jadeveon Clowney could do if he gave full effort.

The oft-nitpicked No. 1 overall draft pick is off to a pretty strong start for the Houston Texans, and he had a pretty brilliant two straight plays against the Atlanta Falcons.

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In the Texans' second defensive series, Clowney absolutely blew up running back Antone Smith on a 2nd and 4 run and made a pop of a hit that was remeniscent of Clowney's bowl game hit against Michigan two years ago.

Then on the next play, Clowney sacked Matt Ryan for a seven-yard loss. Clowney had a short performance, coming out of the game fairly early, but it was memorable. Let's just say that his effort was not a problem on the first few series of the game.

They were the only two tackles Clowney made in the 32-7 Texans victory, but they were impact plays and tone-setters. And it was just a brief glimpse, in a two-play span, of just how dominant he can be.

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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm