The Houston Texans have the opportunity to make franchise history on Sunday by advancing to the AFC Championship game for the first time in the team’s history.
Standing in their way are the New England Patriots and second-year quarterback Drake Maye.
New England, the No. 2 seed in the AFC, is looking to get to its first conference championship since Tom Brady was still the quarterback.
But Will Anderson and the Texans’ defense are ready for the task at hand, and want to bring this one home for the city of Houston.
“Everybody’s been locked in. Everybody knows the focus and the mission that we’re trying to accomplish. So we’ve had a great week of practice, man, and I can’t wait to get to Sunday,” Anderson told reporters.
Will Anderson on Facing Drake Maye
Maye is having himself a heck of a season; he’s a frontrunner for MVP in just his second year in the league. However, it’s fair to say he hasn’t seen a defense of the caliber of the Houston Texans.
Maye faced the Texans in his first career start in 2024, and he struggled. The rookie (at the time) threw three interceptions in a 41-21 blowout loss at Gillette Stadium.
Anderson had three sacks in that game, the most ever in a single outing of his entire career, but he knows this is a different quarterback he’s preparing for.
“He’s gonna be a top guy in this league, man. Powerful arm, can run, can make throws, can use his legs. Do a really good job of scanning the field, making really big throws. You can see that progression that he’s taking the next step, just scanning the whole field, looking for his receivers,” Anderson said of Maye.
“But when he’s not there, I think he does a really good job of using his legs. I would just say he’s not taking as many hits as he was before. But unbelievable player, have a ton of respect for him, can’t wait to go against him.”
Maye was the third-most sacked quarterback in the league this past season, being brought down a total of 47 times.
Anderson and Danielle Hunter, one of the best pass-rushing tandems in football, are going to have opportunities to get after the opposing quarterback.
What an AFC Championship Game Would Mean to Houston
The Houston Texans have only been around since 2002, and have never been to a conference championship game in their franchise’s history.
Anderson spoke about what an AFC Championship game berth would mean to the city of Houston and how the players want to win for the fans.
“I think it’s something that we all know. Being here, it’s new heights to be made here, you know what I’m saying? So, like I said, everybody knows the mission that we’re trying to accomplish, and we’re just taking it one week at a time,” Anderson said with a smile.
“They (fans) come out, they show us so much love, so much support. And we just want to do something that’s never been done for this city, man, to get Houston on fire. And they’ve been unbelievable for us all season long, and we just want to do something special for them.”
Anderson and his teammates know what’s at stake on Sunday, and are laser-focused on giving the city of Houston its first taste of championship game action.
Who knows, if both the Texans and Buffalo Bills win this weekend, Houston could be hosting that AFC Championship game.
Texans’ Will Anderson Sends Message to Drake Maye, Patriots