HOUSTON – Will Anderson Jr. has menaced quarterbacks all season long, relentlessly chasing them down through his aggressive style and expanding repertoire of pass rushing moves.
Between his speed, powerful bull rush, karate-like handwork and instincts, the Texans’ Pro Bowl defensive end and former NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year represents a matchup nightmare.
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Anderson is building a gold standard for how to operate on the edge, exploding out of his stance to penetrate the backfield on a regular basis. All of that skill and motor was on full display against the New England Patriots in a performance coach DeMeco Ryans characterized as the best of his young career.
Anderson recorded a career-high three sacks and four tackles for losses with eight tackles and batted away a pass from rookie quarterback Drake Maye intercepted by safety Eric Murray. He’s just the 12th player in NFL history to record a statistical line of three sacks, four tackles for losses and one pass defensed. And Anderson ranks fifth in the NFL with 5 1/2 sacks, leads all players with nine tackles for losses.
And the AFC Defensive Player of the Week and former Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Year, Bronko Nagurski award winner and consensus All-American from Alabama is definitely getting his flowers in his second NFL season for more than his production. It’s about who Anderson is as a person as deeply spiritual, grounded and positive personality known as a caring teammate.
Texans Pro Bowl quarterback C.J. Stroud, drafted second overall and named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year last season as he led the team to an AFC South division title, and Anderson, the third overall pick last season, have formed a strong bond and friendship. And, so, have their families, especially their mothers, Kimberly Stroud and Tereon Anderson.
“Man, I’m super proud of Will, just the person he is, not only just on the field, but off,” Stroud said. “How encouraging he is being, not only in my life, but in the locker room and his family and then just being so family-oriented and always showing everybody love. His mom and my mom are very close.
“So, I just think it’s super dope that he’s able to get what he deserves on the field and he doesn’t see a double team every play. So, I definitely love the fact that he came out with a big game and I know he has a lot more coming for him and I definitely know that he’ll continue to be great.”
The Texans are off to a 5-1 start heading into Sunday’s road game against the Green Bay Packers and they’re one of the top teams in the NFL and the leaders in the AFC South division.
And the friendship of the two football moms mirrors the mutual admiration between Anderson and Stroud as cornerstones of a franchise that resurrected itself last season under the leadership of coach DeMeco Ryans, going from 3-13-1 under coach Lovie Smith the previous season to an 11-8 finish that included a playoff victory over the Cleveland Browns.
“They’re really close,” Anderson said. “They love football as much as we love football. They’re fantastic. We both come from really great households. Both our moms are really great. Everybody loves our moms. They love each other, man. It’s like a family unit here.”
#Texans Pro Bowl defensive end Will Anderson Jr. @will_anderson28 the AFC Defensive Player of the Week on matchup against #Packers Josh Jacobs, Jordan Love and what it means to have Denico Autry back as well as his friendship with C.J. Stroud @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/cAEMP27u42
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) October 16, 2024
Yes, what Anderson is doing has long ago earned the respect and attention of retired Texans legend J.J. Watt, a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Anderson hears from Watt frequently with encouraging text messages.
Anderson became the first Texan since Watt to post that stat line in a single game.
“He texted me, ‘Have a day, man,’” Anderson said. “He always texts me every time something good happens. He’s been a great role model for me. He’s been a great guy to have in my corner.”
Hearing the praise from Watt and joining him in the Texans’ record books is significant for Anderson. He appreciates the history that preceded his arrival and establishing himself as a game-wrecking defensive presence.
“Man, it’s just an honor to be up there with him,” Anderson said of Watt. “And I respect his game. I look up to J.J. He’s been a great role model in my life. He’s been helping me, keeping me encouraged. You just got to keep going, can’t get comfortable. That’s how we operate, man. It’s like, ‘Yeah that’s good, what’s next?’ What’s he gonna do now?’
“It’s just about enjoying the process, man. Loving this process, falling in love with this squad. Keep growing, keep getting better. That’s just my biggest thing is how can I get 1 percent better each week? How can I stay as consistent as possible until the end of the season?
#Texans Pro Bowl defensive end Will Anderson Jr. @will_anderson28 on career high three sacks @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/58GMC3rImx
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) October 13, 2024
Six games into his second NFL season, Anderson has recorded 64 career tackles, 19 tackles for losses and 30 quarterback hits
“We were kind of preaching like man we’ve got to bring our own energy and Will really like took that to heart, so you could tell like right from the jump in pre-game warmups and where he was and just took it upon himself to kind of be the heart of the team in terms of the energy and what we were trying to bring,” Texans defensive coordinator Matt Burke said. “To see that kind of translate into the success he had, it was really cool. I know the stats are great and I know I always say this, but with him you don’t even see some of the stuff. If there was a stat for setting edges or like closing gaps down and forcing cutbacks for other players. I mean the TFLs, and the sacks are amazing, but he does a lot of other things in the structure of the defense to really help out. He’s fun to be around for sure.”
Hours before kickoff Sunday at Gillette Stadium, Anderson Jr. was already wearing his game face and displaying signs of what was about to happen.
Anderson had bad intentions toward the England Patriots’ offense and had set his ambitions on making things as difficult as imaginable for New England Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye in his first NFL start.
Ryans picked up on the vibe from Anderson. He saw the storm that was coming.
Anderson was a problem all game.
“I felt his mindset in pregame warmups, so I knew it was going to be a really good day for him,” Ryans said. “Will is getting better every week, and this was his best game by far.”
The interaction with Ryans is a game-day tradition for Anerson.
“I could tell by his eyes and that’s something that we do every game, and he could tell,” Anderson said. “That just gets me going. It just makes me way to keep playing hard.”
The relationship between Anderson and Stroud and their respective games is at the core of the Texans’ improvement.
“I sit in the front row and I get to see him every day walking through the locker room,” Anderson said. “We keep each other grounded. We’re both big in our faith. Anytime you see me, it’s encouragement to him. I see him down, I encourage him. To both be like the cornerstones of the defense and offense, we want to make sure that we’re always keeping each other uplifted there because sometimes it can be a lot of pressure and we’re both hard on ourselves.
I can tell when C.J. is being hard on himself. I’m like, ‘Man, relax. You’re going to be good. You know what you’re doing.’ He already knows what I’m talking about. It’s great having a guy like C.J. in the building, having a guy like that to have my back, man. He keeps me grounded, he gives me confidence. And I just want to keep playing hard because I know I’ve got No. 7 on the other side.”
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Anderson recorded seven sacks and had 22 quarterback hits and 64 pressures as he became the third player in franchise history to be named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year as he joined the fraternity of Brian Cushing and Ryans.
Anderson dominated offensive tackle Demontray Jacobs, overpowering him with speed, strength and his repertoire of pass rushing moves. When Vederian Lowe left the game with an injury, Anderson plowed through his replacement, Zach Thomas, for his second sack.
“Proud of Will, massive game for him to be able to get after the quarterback the way he did,” Ryans said. “Just a really, really productive day by him, and he stayed out there. Loved his energy from start to finish.”
When Maye tried to get rid of the football, Anderson leapt at the line of scrimmage to disrupt the path of the football, and it landed in the hands of Murray for an acrobatic interception.
“It’s a blessing, man,” Anderson said. “You’ve just got to keep chopping, man, keep going and getting better and keep working your moves. Don’t be scared to throw more. Keep chopping wood. These guys are tremendous at what they do. It’s a group, and it’s very special and I love those guys.”
Anderson is up to 12 1/2 career sacks, the most of any player from his draft class, and a team-high 5 1/2 sacks after getting close so many times this season with 23 pressures heading into Sunday’s game.
Between Anderson and Pro Bowl defensive end Danielle Hunter, who forced a fumble on a strip sack, the formidable pass rushing tandem has combined for eight sacks for the 5-1 Texans.
“Man, he’s taught me so much,” Anderson said. “Every time I see him, I give him a big hug. I don’t have any brothers, so all of these guys have been in this group. I look at them as my big brothers. He just kept me composed and kept me grounded these last two weeks. I keep getting better. He kept me on edge: ‘Hey, don’t get lax. When you get lax, your body starts to wind down a little bit. Keep going, keep going.’ And he’s helping me out a lot.”
THE TERMINATOR 🤫
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) October 13, 2024
📺: @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/WfxkbCRCdI
Stroud saw this leap in Anderson’s game coming. It was similar to how he looks at star wide receiver Nico Collins’ development.
“Honestly, he’s kind of like how I look at Nico,” Stroud said. “He’s always been great, but he just needed opportunities. He did it in college and did it in his rookie year and so he just continues to get blessed with more opportunities. So, I think he’s going to keep doing well as long as he gets the opportunities to do that. So, I’m definitely just proud of him and what he’s been able to do and I know that he’ll continue to do well for sure.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com
