Will Anderson Assures Texans Have Moved Past Ugly End to Last Season

The Houston Texans' 2025 season didn't end how anyone on the roster would've hoped.

After a dominant second half of the year where the Texans didn't lose a single game in the regular season following their Week 9 loss to the Denver Broncos, and capped off a third-straight Wild Card win against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Houston was stopped in their tracks on the road in Foxboro against the New England Patriots with a chance to make their first-ever AFC Championship.

The offense struggled behind C.J. Stroud's infamous four-interception performance, had multiple injuries to deal with on that side of the ball being without Nico Collins, Dalton Schultz, and Cade Stover, and despite a great day from the defense, came up short in a 16-28 defeat.

Needless to be said, the way Houston went out was a brutal way to leave the field after such an inspiring stretch of games had taken place in the weeks prior. Paired with how close the Texans were to making franchise history as the first team to be one of the final four teams standing in the postseason, that loss stings just a little bit more.

However, while a rough ending to the year, Will Anderson Jr. is confident this group has put that season behind them and looking forward to the next with a likeminded mentality.

Will Anderson, Texans Putting Last Season's Shortcomings Behind Them

Anderson spoke with Big Sarge Media at his football camp in Georgia last week about how he's feeling heading into next season, along with how the team has approached the shortcomings of last season––and it's safe to say he has no worries that this group can keep the focus looking forward.

"What happened in 2025 is no longer," Anderson said. "What are we going to do right now in 2026? What is the 2026-27 Texans going to look like? I think for us, it's about elevating our mindset, elevating our expectation, going above and beyond the expectation and the standard we have to get over that hump."

“What happened in 2025 is no longer,” said Texans DE Will Anderson Jr. exclusively to Big Sarge Media at his football camp in Georgia. “What are we going to do right now in 2026? What is the 2026-27 Texans going to look like?
Click link below:#Texans https://t.co/kvArldWaVr pic.twitter.com/1OXMbFFBgK
— BIG SARGE MEDIA LLC (@BigSargeSportz) July 16, 2026

That mentality of going above and beyond expectations for next season isn't limited to just Will Anderson either; that remains true for this Texans roster in all three phases.

The Texans' All-Pro defender emphasized the similar approach that everyone on the roster is taking after last season, rather than just himself: everyone's process might look a little different than the next, but the focus of being on the same page and being even better than last season is at the top of mind for everybody.

"Everybody's going through their process," Anderson continued. "Whatever it may look like, I can say that everybody's been intentional. The intent has been there through walkthroughs, full speed, in the meeting room. I think we've really taken time to dial some things in, take our time with calls. Really understand the scheme."

"Offense has been doing a good job. Defense has been doing a good job. Special teams has been doing a good job. I think all of the vets have been doing a good job of bringing the younger guys on as well. The rookies looked phenomenal in OTAs, so I can't wait to see what they do in training camp."

If the Texans can pair that wired mentality together with the roster improvements the front office has made from this offseason, it could be the perfect formula for Houston to finally get over the hump to make that deep run into the postseason, and possibly make their first-ever Super Bowl appearance with it.

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