{"id":48780,"date":"2026-01-16T12:39:07","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T17:39:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/?p=48780"},"modified":"2026-01-16T12:39:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T17:39:07","slug":"will-anderson-gives-glory-to-jesus-after-texans-playoff-win","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/2026\/01\/will-anderson-gives-glory-to-jesus-after-texans-playoff-win.html","title":{"rendered":"Will Anderson Gives Glory to Jesus After Texans Playoff Win"},"content":{"rendered":"
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NFL on ESPN \/ YouTube<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Houston Texans All-Pro defensive end Will Anderson didn’t just celebrate a dominant playoff victory on Monday night \u2014 he used the national spotlight to thank Jesus and point viewers toward Scripture.<\/p>\n

Following the Texans’ 30\u20136 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Wild Card round, ESPN reporter Laura Rutledge asked Anderson to reflect<\/a> on his performance. The 24-year-old finished the night with three tackles, a strip-sack that resulted in a defensive touchdown, and three quarterback hits. But before talking football, Anderson made his priorities clear.<\/p>\n

“I give all glory to God, man,” he said. “Thank you, Jesus Christ.”<\/p>\n

Anderson then offered a paraphrase of Matthew 5:16, where Jesus instructs His followers to “let your light shine before others” so that God may receive glory. “When people see us play, man, they glorify your name,” Anderson said, before adding, “Let’s just shout out to Jesus Christ.”<\/p>\n

The comments echoed a consistent theme within Houston’s locker room this season. Under second-year head coach DeMeco Ryans, the organization has openly discussed how faith influences the team’s culture. After clinching a playoff berth late last year, Ryans told reporters, “The light is shining bright on the Texans,” noting that the team’s unity is “reflective of our guys’ belief in \u2026 our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.”<\/p>\n

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

Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud \u2014 who has steadily emerged as both a franchise player and a leader in the faith conversation among athletes \u2014 offered a thoughtful response last week when asked if God was “blessing” the team because of its strong Christian influence.<\/p>\n

“I don’t want it to ever be confused,” Stroud replied. “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.”<\/p>\n

Stroud said God is “more than worthy of all the worship,” explaining that the team’s faith isn’t transactional and isn’t based on scoreboard results. “It’s not because we want favor from the Lord,” he said, adding that believers don’t earn God’s favor simply by giving Him credit. “But He deserves it, and He’s worthy of it,” Stroud insisted. “He’s been faithful.”<\/p>\n

The Texans advance to the Divisional Round, where they will face the New England Patriots on Sunday with a trip to the AFC Championship on the line. Since entering the league in 2002, Houston has never reached the Super Bowl. For now, though, Anderson and several teammates seem content making sure their ultimate celebration points beyond football \u2014 to Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Houston Texans All-Pro defensive end Will Anderson didn’t just celebrate a dominant playoff victory on Monday night \u2014 he used the national spotlight to thank Jesus and point viewers toward Scripture. Following the Texans’ 30\u20136 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Wild Card round, ESPN reporter Laura Rutledge asked Anderson to reflect on…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":516,"featured_media":48783,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-48780","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-television"],"yoast_head":"\nWill Anderson Gives Glory to Jesus After Texans Playoff Win<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Will Anderson praises Jesus and cites scripture after Texans' playoff win, reflecting a growing faith-driven culture inside the locker room.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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