NFL Sack Leaders: Origin of The Term ‘Sack,’ Last Season & All Time Leaders; Everything You Need To Know

Suyash Deep Sinha | 20/10/2022
Baker Mayfield and Nick Bosa

Sacks have always been a delight for defenses and a nightmare for offenses. Let’s take a look at some of the best NFL sack leaders.

Not a lot of things on the defensive side of football are more exciting than sacking the quarterback. It energizes your entire team, the fans, and puts your opponent in a difficult position. This is the play to make if you want to change the momentum.

For the unversed, in football, a sack occurs when a defender tackles the quarterback behind the line of scrimmage while the quarterback is in possession of the ball. Sacks result in down and yardage loss and are most likely to happen during a blitz, which occurs when the defense sends extra players to rush the quarterback.

Sacks has been in the NFL since we can remember. While they’ve always been a defense’s dream and an offense’s nightmare, many football fans are unaware of the origins of the term “sack.”

The Merriam Webster dictionary defines a sack as “a usually rectangular-shaped bag.” If that’s the case, what does it have to do with the football term “sack”? It may seem unlikely, but these two spellings of the same word are more closely related than you think.

David ‘Deacon’ Jones, a Hall of Fame defensive lineman in the NFL and one of the most prolific sack artists in NFL history, popularized the term. He began using the term after hearing it used by his coach, George Allen, during one of his motivational speeches.

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Some all time best sack leaders in the NFL

  1. Bruce Smith 200 sacks
  2. Reggie White 198 sacks
  3. Kevin Greene 160 sacks
  4. Julius Peppers 159.5 sacks
  5. Chris Doleman 150.5 sacks
  6. Michael Strahan 141.5 sacks
  7. Jason Taylor 139.5 sacks
  8. Terrell Suggs 139 sacks
  9. Demarcus Ware 138.5 sacks
  10. Richard Dent / John Randle 137.5 sacks

NFL sack leaders for 2021-22

Name Team Age Sacks in 2021-22
Maxx Crosby Las Vegas Raiders 24 8
Khalil mack Los Angles Chargers 31 6
Chandler Jones Las Vegas Raiders 32 10.8
Danielle Hunter Minnesota Vikings 27 6
Joye Bosa Los Angeles Chargers 27 10.5
Nick Bosa San Francisco 49ers 24 15.5
Trey Hendrickson Cincinnati Bengals 27 14
Aaron Donald Los Angeles Rams 31 12.5
T.J. Watt Pittsburgh Steelers 27 22.5
Myles Garrett Cleveland Browns 26 16

Also Read: Dan Snyder’s Net worth: How Did The Commanders Owner Earn Heaps of Cash?

Post Edited By: Jatin Hasija
NFL NFL leaders NFL Sack Leaders NFL Sacks

About the author

Suyash Deep Sinha

Suyash Deep Sinha is an NFL writer and sports enthusiast who is always watching and thinking about sports, particularly NFL and cricket. He began watching NFL in high school and became interested after learning that several WWE superstars are somehow connected to NFL. He is also a theatre actor, writer, and movie buff who enjoys trekking and dancing and is a proactive person. He enjoys horseback riding and cooking in his spare time. Reading is also one of his favorite pastimes.

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