Back on November 9th, the most unlikely of circumstances unfolded early and often, resulting in the Texans falling behind inexplicably by 17 points to the Jaguars. It was not just the deficit. It was how quickly it happened, the kind of sequence that can send even a veteran locker room into a quiet haze.
And then came the moment that shifted everything.
When Matthew Wright managed to convert a chip shot 23 yard field goal to finally break the run and secure Houston their first points of the day, something sparked. You could witness members of the defense fist bumping and encouraging offensive teammates as well as members of the special teams unit. The sideline looked alive again. Unified again. Certain players made sure of it.
At the forefront were Will Anderson Jr. And Danielle Hunter. Those are the first two reasons why the reversal happened that Sunday and the weeks that followed. Leaders do not always need speeches. Sometimes they simply stand their ground and refuse to let a season tilt in the wrong direction.
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For Hunter, the numbers already tell a story with historical weight. If he posts just one more identical season, he will be approaching some of the game’s icons. He presently sits with 110.5 quarterback sacks and the likes of Derrick Thomas and Dwight Freeney are in view. And those who know the position best can see exactly where he is headed.
The NFL’s all time sack leader Bruce Smith told AllSportsPeople there is a deeper formula to what Hunter does, a method beneath the mayhem.
“It requires talent skill and technique but you have to also study your opponent and understand their strengths and weaknesses. That’s essential.”
It is a truth Hunter has embodied for a decade and it is one Will Anderson Jr. Has been absorbing in real time. Anderson has had the benefit these past two seasons to do just that. Learning from one of the game’s greats in Hunter. For all of Hunter’s accomplishments, Danielle is not the first name that rolls off the tongue. After all, the jerseys that fly off the shelves during the Christmas season are most akin to T.J. Watt.
But players see players. Former Steelers and Seahawks great Chad Brown, who posted 79 sacks during his career, weighed in on Hunter and the respect is unmistakable.
“I can’t say enough about him. His longevity of 10 years at high level. Then there’s availability. Danielle has gone seven seasons without missing a game and he’s on track to play a full seventeen games this year. Finally, there’s the production, and once again he has double digit sacks.”
Up next is a Sunday night trip to Arrowhead. The stadium has recently served as a house of horrors with playoff losses and significant injuries like Tank Dell. Texans fans only have to look to Anderson and Hunter to understand why the scales may finally be tilting in their favor.
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