Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. has been named AFC Defensive Player of the Week, the NFL announced Wednesday. Anderson earned his first career Player of the Week honor after his three-sack performance in the team's 41-21 road victory over the New England Patriots.
In Week 6, Anderson finished with eight tackles, including four tackles for loss, a career-high three sacks and added one pass defensed. His sacks and tackles for loss both ranked first across the NFL last week, while his tackles led the team and tied for the most among defensive linemen league wide.
On the day, all three sacks led to punts, ending the Patriots' drives, while his pass defensed was a batted ball that was intercepted by teammate safety Eric Murray and allowed the offense to score just two plays later. Anderson's career day concluded with him becoming just the 12th player in NFL history to record at least five tackles, four tackles for loss, three sacks and one pass defensed in a game.
Through six games, no player in the NFL has more tackles for loss than Anderson's nine, while his 5.5 sacks rank tied for fifth. Anderson's honor marks the second time this season and ninth occurrence in franchise history a Texan has been named Player of the Week in back-to-back weeks.
The accolade stands as the 60th time a Texan has been named Player of the Week and the 21st time a defensive player has garnered the honor. Additionally, the Texans have claimed Player of the Week recognition in four of the first six weeks of the season, the most in the NFL and most in team history through Week 6.
