HOUSTON – Will Anderson Jr. barreled across the line of scrimmage like a speed skater, contorting his body into a low, powerful moving object. His finish line awaited.
Anderson drilled Tennessee Titans veteran quarterback Ryan Tannehill twice for sacks at the end of the first half of a 26-3 victory Sunday at NRG Stadium that positions the Texans for a win-and-in regular-season finale against the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday night.
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It was a prime example of Anderson’s explosiveness and relentless as a pass rusher and his toughness. In his first game back from a painful high-ankle sprain sustained on the unforgiving MetLife Stadium artificial turf, Anderson had consecutive sacks to break the Texans’ franchise rookie record for sacks in a season with seven sacks this year. Anderson surpassed Whitney Mercilus and Brooks Reed’s six-sack totals from 2012 and 2011 with one game remaining in the regular season.
In a dozen snaps as he was on a limited snap count, Anderson made his presence felt.
“Really proud of Will for him pushing through, he’s in a lot of pain,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “He’s hurt. But he still sucked it up and pushed through, and he made a lot of impact plays even though he’s on a limited snap count. He was still able to affect the quarterback. For him to get two sacks, huge plays for us in the game, for him to break the rookie record, I know it means a lot to him.
“That’s the type of player Will is. He’s an impact player, and you see it instantly. You see we’ve missed him. When he hasn’t been there, we’ve missed him. But you see the production, you see the type of plays he can make for us. Really proud of him, proud of the season that he’s having.”
SEE ALSO: Will Anderson Jr. dominates with relentless style
An NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate, Anderson had a pressure rate of 54.5 percent, according to NextGen Stats.
Anderson finished with two sacks, three quarterback hits, six pressures and two tackles for losses. It was his first game back since his ankle gave out on the turf against the New York Jets on Dec. 10. This situation reminded Anderson, the third overall pick from Alabama, of his time playing for legendary Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban.
“People talk about ‘Welcome to the NFL moment,’ and you’ve always got your moments on the field,” Anderson said. “But I think off the field was one of the biggest challenges I faced this week as an NFL player and just being a pro and learning how to be a pro. . I remember a similar situation happen to me in college my sophomore year, I got cut-blocked. I didn’t know if I was going to be able to play that week. They were talking about surgery and all this other stuff.
“I remember coach Saban sat me in his office, and he’s just like, ‘Nobody is 100 percent right now at this time. Everybody is banged up. I know you’ve got your injury going on.’ He was like, ‘It just shows you’re a warrior. It shows what type of competitor you are.’ Those are the type of moments that you never forget, and you go out there and ball out for your brothers and everything like that. For me, that’s all I was thinking about this week was just like how can I be a warrior? How can I be a competitor? My brothers have got my back, and I’ve got their back.”
#Texans rookie defensive end Will Anderson Jr., played through painful ankle injury still got two sacks and set franchise single season record with seventh sack of year @will_anderson28 @KlutchSports @AgentNicoleLynn @kelt_crenshaw @KPRC2 @AlabamaFTBL pic.twitter.com/o8RyKK6VFW
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) December 31, 2023
Because there was a strong interior presence working in Anderson’s favor with the play of Sheldon Rankins and Kurt Hinish and Khalil Davis, his job became easier.
The Texans finished with six sacks overall, including 1 1/2 sacks from defensive end Derek Barnett and a sack and forced fumble by Jerry Hughes that Rankins returned for his first NFL touchdown. The Texans had 12 quarterback hits and eight tackles for losses despite playing without injured defensive end Jonathan Greenard.
“None of this happens without those guys on the D-line,” Anderson said. “None of it. My pawpaw always told me, ‘Your gift will make room for you and bring you before great men.’ That’s all I think about. God has made room for my gift and brought me amongst a lot of great men in that room. They’ve supported me. They’ve picked me up. Without them, I don’t even think I’d be here where I’m at.
“It’s just all of us working together and being effective as one and rushing as one. We’ve been doing a really good job of that lately. I think that’s one of the main goals we had as a [defensive] line. Nobody is going to rush selfishly. We’re all going to rush together so everybody can eat, and everybody can have fun and just go out there and play for each other.”
A former consensus All-American, Bronko Nagurski, 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.
Anderson Jr. plays the game with a dynamic approach, chasing down quarterbacks and running backs with skill and determination.
At Alabama, Anderson piled up 204 career tackles, 58 1/2 tackles for losses, 34 1/2 sacks and one interception.
The Texans landed their highest-graded pass rusher and overall prospect regardless of position in the draft in Anderson.
The Texans, after drafting quarterback C.J. Stroud second overall, traded with the Cardinals to draft Anderson third overall. The Texans exchanged 12th overall and 33rd overall selections, their own 2024 first-round and third-round picks, and the Cardinals also sent their 105th overall pick.
And Anderson, signed to a four-year, fully guaranteed $35.212 million contract that includes a fifth-year club option and a $22.609 million signing bonus, is giving the Texans zero regrets about their hefty investment. He’s been as advertised.
He has recorded four sacks in the past three games he’s played.
Overall, Anderson has 44 tackles, seven sacks, 22 quarterback hits and 10 tackles for losses. He entered Sunday with 27 pressures.
It was a grueling time for Anderson, but he battled through.
“It was the hardest,” Anderson said. “I’m like aaah! I’m the type, when I’m watching ball, especially when I’m on the team, I get very anxious. I want to be out there. I’ve got to be out there. It was very hard to turn on some of the games and watch the games because I want to be out there. I think it’s all about being a pro and learning how to be a pro.
“What I’ve learned about myself, honestly, is that I’m enough. Regardless of what anybody has to say, you’re enough, man. I think that’s one thing that I’ve really been reflecting on. Like bro, you’ve put the work in. You made it here to the NFL, man. What are you going to do with this opportunity? Don’t ever let man try to tell you that you’re not enough.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com.