Certain individual NFL players are just so dominant that you label them “game-changers.” The Houston Texans’ defensive end, Will Anderson Jr., is a great example.
In college, he won the Nagurski, Bednarik, and Lott awards, which honor the nation’s best overall defensive player. He also won the Lombardi Award, which recognizes the best overall lineman.
The third overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Anderson made the Pro Bowl and won the league’s Defensive Rookie of the Year award last season. And it feels like he’s only just getting started.
Ravens Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken is obviously prepping on how best to try and slow down Anderson, as well as Danielle Hunter, the Texans’ other Pro Bowl defensive end, who plays opposite him.
In a dozen games (he missed the other three with an ankle injury) this season, Anderson has registered 10.5 sacks, 32 tackles, 14 TFLs, and 15 quarterback hits. While he specializes in getting into opposing backfields, he can also change the game with QB hits, hurries, and knockdowns.
“As a rusher, one thing you love is getting sacks, but it’s so much more than just getting in sacks, you know, affecting the quarterback can come in various ways,” Anderson said exclusively to RG. “We are talking about just pushing the pocket. We want to penetrate.”
Anderson stuffs the stat sheet, whether it be traditional or next-generation stats. Pro Football Focus currently grades him at 85.4, ranking him ninth best out of 205 NFL Edges.
This Christmas, we’ll (as long as you have Netflix or a ticket or media credential to the game) all get the gift of seeing Anderson in pursuit of arguably the most outstanding runner the quarterback position has ever seen.
Jackson, who is as mobile a QB as you will ever see, will become the NFL’s all-time leader in rushing yards for a quarterback on Wednesday if he rushes for 87 or more yards.
It will be interesting to see how Monken utilizes Jackson to counteract Anderson and Hunter. If used effectively and strategically, rollouts can quickly negate the impact of an aggressive blitz.
Of course, the best way to eliminate edge rushers or dominate the run is for Monken to do a lot with Jackson and Derrick Henry’s zone-read pairing.
While Monken isn’t perfect, his work has received much praise this season, and deservedly so. It may not be long before he is in the main seat somewhere.
You cannot doubt that he’s drawn up something special in this week’s game prep.