Oct 20, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Houston Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. (51) celebrates a fumble recovery in the end zone for a touchdown during the third quarter against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

Will Anderson Sends Texans Uplifting Message Amid Rough 2-4 Start

Originally posted on Houston Texans on SI | By Jared Koch | Last updated Oct 24, 2025 8:08 PM ET

The Houston Texans will have a critical opportunity to take advantage of in Week 8 vs. the San Francisco 49ers to try and bounce back from the unfortunate events of Monday Night Football vs. the Seattle Seahawks that dropped this group to a bleak 2-4 record following the bye.

But all hope isn't lost in the building for Houston. Far from it. There's a long marathon of a season ahead for the Texans to correct course and get back to their winning ways, and in the process, perhaps secure three-straight playoff appearances for the first time in franchise history.

For Texans edge rusher Will Anderson Jr., he's motivated to keep the wheels turning to make that turnaround happen. But before doing so, it requires everyone on all three phases to be on the same page–– something Houston's star defender voiced ahead of their matchup vs, the 49ers.

"We're all in this together, you know what I'm saying?" Anderson said following a Texans practice. "Like, at the end of the day, it's not just defense. It's not just offense. It's not just special teams. We're all one group. Everybody has to be firing on all cylinders."

"We're a couple of plays away, a couple of scores away, a couple of stops away from really winning ball games."

Will Anderson Jr. Doesn't Think Texans Are Far Away

Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

Anderson isn't wrong. For all four of the Texans' losses on the season, the results have been decided by one score; proving that while unable to complete the task at hand for those showings, this group isn't far away from putting more wins on the board.

Defensively, Houston's remained consistently stout through all performances, the offense, while up and down, still has a long road ahead to keep progressing as a unit, and with four divisional matchups still on the horizon, making up that ground in the AFC South isn't totally out of the question either.

But to make those strides happen, it starts by taking the process one week at a time, beginning with a win against the 49ers that'd be a statement game for the Texans collectively, while also making for a bit of a sweeter win than usual for head coach DeMeco Ryans, previously San Francisco's defensive coordinator

And for Anderson, from the initial reps he's seen through practice leading up to this weekend, the signs could be there for a resurgence of performance.

"I really feel like this week, we have a really perfect opportunity to really just put it all together, and it just starts with the preparation," Anderson said. "And I thought we did a really good job today [in practice] starting that."

This article first appeared on Houston Texans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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