What Is The Nfl Single-Season Sack Record?
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The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league consisting of 32 teams, divided equally between the National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC). The NFL is one of the four major professional sports leagues in North America, and the highest professional level of American football in the world.
Michael Strahan – 22.5 Sacks
In 2001, defensive end Michael Strahan set the NFL single-season sack record with 22.5 sacks. That season, he helped lead the New York Giants to a Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots.
Jared Allen – 22 Sacks
In 2011, Jared Allen of the Minnesota Vikings sacks New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees during a game. The sack gave Allen 22 for the season, surpassing Michael Strahan’s single-season record of 22.5.
DeMarcus Ware – 20.5 Sacks
In 2007, during his fourth season with the Dallas Cowboys, outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware recorded a then-NFL record 20.5 sacks. He broke the previous record of 22.0 sacks, set by Michael Strahan of the New York Giants in 2001.
JJ Watt – 20.5 Sacks
In 2012, Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt had a monster season, leading the NFL in sacks with 20.5. That performance earned him the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award, and it still stands as the league’s single-season sack record.
Watt’s 20.5 sacks came in just 16 games, meaning he averaged over 1.3 sacks per game. To put that into perspective, only three players in NFL history have averaged more than 1 sack per game over the course of their careers: Hall of Famers Bruce Smith and Reggie White, and two-time Defensive Player of the Year Kevin Greene.
Watt’s 20.5 sacks also set a Texans franchise record, and they helped him become just the second player in NFL history with at least 20 sacks and five forced fumbles in a single season (Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen was the other).
Elvis Dumervil – 20 Sacks
The National Football League (NFL) sack record is 20, set by Elvis Dumervil in 2009. Dumervil played for the Denver Broncos at the time and recorded his 20 sacks in just 16 games.
