EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Texans Pro Bowl defensive end Will Anderson Jr. has been a dominant force all season, harassing quarterbacks relentlessly and setting the edge as an aggressive, stout run-stopper.
Now, the former NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and consensus All-American and third overall pick from Alabama has been named the AFC Defensive Player of the Month.
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The Texans are 6-2 and have the second-best record in the AFC and went 3-1 in the month of October.
This is the first time Anderson has earned this award. He had a career-high three sacks against the New England Patriots, chasing down rookie quarterback Drake Maye.
He had 17 tackles, an NFL-high seven for losses, five sacks, one pass defensed that was intercepted, a fumble recovery that sealed a victory. He led the AFC in sacks and ranked second in the NFL in October. He had 12 stops at or behind the line of scrimmage, second-most in the NFL.
Anderson has 7 1/2 sacks, a career-high, and leads the NFL with 11 tackles for losses. He ranks fourth in the NFL with 39 pressures, according to Next Gen Stats.
Pro Bowl defensive end Danielle Hunter, rushing from the other side, leads the NFL with 51 quarterback pressures and has 5 1/2 sacks to rank second behind Anderson.
This marks the 20th time a Texan has been honored as player of the month and the first time a defensive player has garnered the award since J.J. Watt claimed the nod in September of 2018.
Anderson had bad intentions toward the Patriots’ offense.
Texans coach DeMeco Ryans picked up on the vibe from Anderson. He saw the storm that was coming as Anderson relentlessly chased down Maye for a career-high three sacks Sunday during a 41-21 road win at Gillette Stadium.
Anderson was a menace 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.”
Anderson finished with a career-high eight tackles and four tackles for loss. He’s just the seventh player in franchise history to have a three-sack game. Not only did Anderson keep Maye from getting comfortable in the backfield, he also batted away one of his throws that was intercepted by safety Eric Murray off the deflection.
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.”
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A former Bronko Nagurski award winner, Lombardi award winner and consensus All-American for the Crimson Tide, 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.
“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.”
Between Anderson and Hunter, the formidable pass rushing tandem has combined for 13 sacks for the 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.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com
