BALTIMORE, MD. – Texans rookie defensive end Will Anderson busted through Baltimore Ravens veteran offensive tackle Morgan Moses with a powerful move, sending the lineman reeling backward.
The force of the rip move didn’t slow down the pass rusher’s momentum as he managed to maintain his balance while chasing down elusive Ravens star quarterback Lamar Jackson for the first sack of his NFL career.
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Not only did the dynamic rookie sack Jackson in a smashing regular-season debut, but the third overall pick of the draft and former Alabama consensus All-American recorded six pressures for the most in a first game since Nick Bosa and Josh Allen hit that mark in 2019, according to Next Gen Stats. His total amount of tackles in an opening game are tied for the highest amount for a rookie edge player since the stat was first tracked in 2016.
Anderson is the first rookie to record a sack in the first game of the season in Texans franchise history.
And the performance, which included six tackles, and two quarterback hits, didn’t surprise Texans coach DeMeco Ryans. It’s the trajectory and standard that the former Bronko Nagurski award winner established since the Texans drafted him in the spring.
“Will has been who he’s been all training camp, and all preseason,” Ryans said. “Continues to cause havoc in the backfield. He got to the quarterback a couple of times. As we all know, Lamar is a tough out. It was great to see our D-line was operating.”
The rip move was an impressive flex as Anderson jammed his right biceps underneath Moses’ arm to render him off-balance, leading to Jackson falling to the ground for a loss of six yards in the fourth quarter. Anderson’s sack was a bright spot in a 25-9 defeat at M&T Bank Stadium as the Texans overall were overmatched against a returning playoff squad.
“We are relentless,” Anderson said. “We were causing pressure all game up front. We were rushing together. We were trying to get each guy to do his job. We kept talking about keep rushing, keep rushing no matter what. I think we did a really good job.
“I think it just started with discipline and preparation for this game. The coaches did a great job coming up with a great game plan for us. We knew we couldn’t get to him every time, but the pressure would add up.”
Anderson has earned heavy praise from the coaching staff and general manager Nick Caserio ever since they drafted him after a blockbuster trade with the Arizona Cardinals. Although the primary focus of the Texans’ rookie class has been on starting quarterback C.J. Stroud, Anderson has arguably been just as or even more impressive.
A former Chuck Bednarik, Lott trophy and Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Year and national champion at Alabama as one of the most highly recognized defensive players in Crimson Tide history, Anderson has galvanized the defense with his relentless style.
“Yeah, it was fun,” Anderson said. “You know, I took in every moment, and I think the team did a really good job. Of course, we made some mistakes, but we just have to keep learning and getting better. We need to do a better job in the red zone and we can be a really good defense. We have to defend really well down there.”
Anderson Jr. plays the game with a hungry approach, getting to quarterbacks and running backs with skill and determination.
“Will comes in to work every day angry,” Texans Pro Bowl middle linebacker Denzel Perryman said. “,I can see him doing that every play, every day. It was an amazing play, to be honest with you.”
At 6-foot-3, 263 pounds, Anderson has a rare combination of speed, strength and a full repertoire of pass rushing moves. He has a toolbox of strategies for every block thrown his way and a plan to win.
He’s a craftsman who believes strongly in pass rushing as a form of art.
At Alabama, Anderson piled up 204 career tackles, 58 1/2 tackles for losses, 34 1/2 sacks and one interception.
The Texans limited Jackson to 17 of 22 passing for 169 yards and one interception by cornerback Steven Nelson. Anderson pressured Jackson on that play, but the Texans allowed the Ravens to convert 3 of 5 red-zone opportunities. That proved to be a big difference in the outcome.
A former third-round draft pick from Florida, defensive end Jonathan Greenard also made Jackson uncomfortable. He had five tackles, one sack where he hustled to get Jackson down and two quarterback hits. Second-year linebacker Christian Harris also sacked Jackson, who fumbled twice with one recovered by safety M.J. Stewart.
“I mean, he’s a guy, like, we know he just got paid,” Greenard said. “So, he wanted to sit in the pocket as much as he could, more than he wanted to run. He was trying to stay in the pocket. It kind of worked to our advantage at times. We wanted to attack him going into the game, and him staying in the pocket, it made our job easier.
“Physicality isn’t something we need to work on. That is what we hang our hats on at the end of the day. If you aren’t physical, that’s one thing you can’t help. We need to clean up a few Xs’ and Os,’ but the mistakes are part of the game. We played our (butts) off, and next week, we will take that same mentality and play harder.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com.