Will Anderson leads NFL in sacks through Texans’ opening five games

Will Anderson Jr. has 7.5 sacks through Houston’s first five games, giving the Texans a productive pass rush even as their 1-4 start leaves them chasing the AFC South leaders. His next test comes Sunday against Jacksonville at Wembley Stadium.

The total leads the NFL, according to Michael David Smith’s Thursday analysis for NBC Sports. Houston’s official player statistics independently list the same 7.5 sacks, including at least half a sack in each game. Anderson also has 10 tackles for loss, NBC reported.

His largest contribution came in Sunday’s 26-3 win over Tennessee: three sacks, three quarterback hits and three tackles for loss. The Texans’ report identifies it as the second three-sack regular-season game of his career and notes that he is the only NFL player with multiple games of at least 2.5 sacks this season.

Pressure beyond one player

Danielle Hunter added a sack against Tennessee, and Houston allowed 187 total yards without surrendering a touchdown. The defense extended its franchise record to 25 consecutive regular-season games with at least one sack, a streak dating to December 2024.

Houston has also gone seven consecutive regular-season games without allowing an opponent to reach 90 rushing yards, the longest such streak in franchise history, according to the team.

Anderson’s game log shows how consistently he has contributed: a half-sack against Buffalo, one against Cincinnati, 2.5 at Indianapolis, a half-sack against Dallas and three at Tennessee. The 25-year-old is in his fourth season and has already accumulated more than half of his 2025 sack total of 12.

Jacksonville enters Sunday 4-1. Anderson’s start gives Houston a proven source of pressure as it tries to build on its first victory of the season.

Sources

Texans: Will Anderson Jr. current statistics

Texans: Anderson’s three-sack performance

NBC Sports: Anderson’s five-game start