Last season, the Houston Texans lost their first three games — and five of their first eight — before winning nine straight games to make the playoffs and advance to the divisional round for the third consecutive season.
This year, a familiar story may be unfolding.
The 2026-27 Texans lost their first four, but after Sunday’s 44-22 road win against the Los Angeles Chargers, Houston has won three of four. The Texans are 3-5 and in second place in the AFC South.
>> Subscribe to Sports Spectrum Magazine for more stories where sports & faith connect <<
Last fall’s turnaround was driven by a stout defense, and Houston’s defense is once again making noise by getting to the quarterback during the team’s recent surge. The Texans tallied eight sacks on Sunday, tying a franchise record. They now lead the entire NFL with 29 sacks on the season.
The record books just got a little heavier. pic.twitter.com/pXJVJdAG7J
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) November 9, 2026
Two of those eight sacks came from star defensive end Will Anderson Jr., who now leads the league with 9.5 on the season. The 25-year-old is on pace to surpass his career-high sack total of 12 set last year, when he was also named a first-team All-Pro.
The team rewarded Anderson for his play in April with a massive contract extension. It made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history (three years, $150 million), a development that filled Anderson with gratitude.
“Thank You, Jesus. Jesus, I owe all I am to You,” the 2023 Defensive Rookie of the Year said while wearing a cross necklace at the press conference announcing his extension. “Thank You for blessing me and keeping me and holding me together all these years. Without You, I am nothing. You have truly been gracious and loving to me.
“I love You, and I will always glorify Your name. Now, all the glory to God who is able through His mighty power at work within us to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.”
Anderson continued that day by thanking his family, his agent, his coaching staff, and others who helped put him in a position to achieve so much on the field. He then delivered a message to the young people watching.
“Rise above the expectations of what society wants you to be,” Anderson advised. “With God, everything is possible. … You are called. You are chosen. You are ordained. You are godly and holy, and most of all, you are loved. Whatever God has planned for you shall come to pass. Head held high always, be bold. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
The Hampton, Georgia, native continued to reference Christ throughout the press conference. One such instance was when he spoke about visiting inmates and delivering a message to them this past February with the prison ministry God Behind Bars.
“It was a life-changing experience,” he said. “… Once you get close with God and you start on your journey, that’s when you start to see so much impurity in yourself and start to see the ways the world will pull you in, sometimes it makes you question yourself, question other things.
“But walking into that prison and seeing how strong their faith was … their faith was so strong in Jesus Christ.”
Anderson has been everything the Texans hoped he’d be when they selected him No. 3 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft after a decorated career at Alabama. And throughout his time in the public eye, he’s consistently sought to point others to Jesus.
“My approval comes from Him,” Anderson told reporters in July 2024. “Ultimately, everything that I achieve in this lifetime, I’m putting Him first for it, because He’s the reason why I’m here.
“… I just want to be a servant, be a leader, and be a blessing to my teammates and help them out in any type of way. So that’s my whole thing coming into this year. It’s like, ‘God, however You want to use me, I just want to be a blessing to this team.'”
In August, Sports Illustrated featured Houston’s defense in its magazine, and Anderson revealed he’s had the desire to proclaim God’s Word since he was a child. In addition to opportunities like the one he experienced with God Behind Bars, Anderson also speaks at every Texans chapel service.
“Sometimes, it’s nerve-wracking,” the man nicknamed “Deac” (short for deacon) said in the story. “Obviously, I’m not perfect. Am I worthy to be doing any of this stuff? … It’s helping me be able to walk in the life God has me in, and to use my platform as more than an athlete.”
View this post on Instagram
Anderson will seek to continue to glorify God with his play on the field and his words off of it as he spearheads a Texans defense that has helped resurrect their season. Houston’s next opportunity to inch closer to the playoffs will come on Sunday against the Browns in Cleveland. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET.
RELATED STORIES:
— Entering 2nd year, Texans DE Will Anderson rests in God’s approval
— Will Anderson, Bryce Young place trust in God & opt in for Sugar Bowl
— Lions’ Jack Campbell after injury: ‘Faith in God has never been stronger’
— Falcons’ Kendal Daniels stars a week after leaving on stretcher: ‘Glory to God’
— Bills are Super Bowl contenders yet again, QB Josh Allen trusts ‘God’s timing’