Texans’ Will Anderson cites Scripture after playoff victory

Houston Texans All-Pro defensive end Will Anderson paraphrased Scripture and gave a shoutout to Jesus Christ after his team secured a sure-handed victory against the Pittsburgh Stealers during the first round of the NFL playoffs on Monday night.

Following the Texans’ 30-6 victory against the Aaron Rodgers-led Steelers, ESPN’s Laura Rutledge conducted a postgame interview with Anderson, who recorded three tackles, a crucial strip-sack that led to a defensive touchdown and three hits on the quarterback during the game. 

When asked to reflect on his team’s performance on the football field, the 24-year-old Georgia native declared, “I give all glory to God, man.” 

“Thank you, Jesus Christ,” he said.

Anderson, who was the third overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft out of the University of Alabama and earned NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors that year, included a Scripture reference in his postgame comments. He paraphrased the passage Matthew 5:16, which reads “Let your light shine before others.”

“When people see us play man, they glorify your name,” Anderson, who was selected as part of the Associated Press’s First Team All-Pro for his work on the field this season, said. 

“Let’s just shout out to Jesus Christ,” he concluded.

Led by head coach DeMeco Ryans, the Houston Texans have placed a high value on faith in Jesus in recent seasons. 

After his team clinched a spot in the playoffs late last year, Ryans acknowledged that “The light is shining bright on the Texans” in a way that is “reflective of our guys’ belief in … our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.” 

“That’s what has driven our team, and I’m so proud of our guys and thankful to the Lord for allowing us to allow our lights to shine through Him,” Ryans said. 

“All praise and honor goes to Him,” the coach added.

At a press conference last week, Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud was asked if he thought God was “blessing” the team in light of the players’ faith in Christ.

“I don’t want it to ever be confused,” he responded. “I don’t think God is like ‘the Texans are going to win,’ but I think regardless, win or loss, He gets the glory and that’s up to us.”

“Him giving us our talents, our abilities and these jobs, … He’s … more than worthy of all the worship,” Stroud insisted. “And that’s just really why we do what we do. It’s not because we want favor from the Lord, even though … that would be nice.”

Stroud stated that people “don’t just get favor from the Lord” because they “give Him glory.” 

“But He deserves it, and He’s worthy of it,” Stroud said, no matter if the Texans win or lose. “He’s been faithful.”

The Texans advance to the divisional round of the NFL playoffs, where they will face the New England Patriots on Sunday. The winner will compete against the winner of a forthcoming playoff game between the Buffalo Bills and the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship game. The winner of the American Football Conference and National Football Conference will compete in Super Bowl LX on Feb. 8. 

Since joining the NFL as an expansion team in 2002, the Texans have never appeared in a Super Bowl.