The Denver Broncos are on pace to have more sacks than any team in NFL history.
Denver Broncos on pace to shatter 41-year old NFL record this season originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Denver Broncos are on pace to have more sacks than any team in NFL history.
After posting a league-high 63 sacks last season, NFL fans who are aware of the record number had to have that in the back of their minds. But it just sat there stewing as a possibility until Sunday, when the Broncos racked up nine sacks of Justin Fields and the New York Jets.
Now, they are on pace to get to that number.
The record number is 72, held by the 1984 Chicago Bears. Of course, it is the 1985 Bears that won Super Bowl XX and are widely considered the best defense in NFL history, but the '84 team had the same players. If the Broncos can surpass the record, which has stood for 41 years, it would be quite the achievement.
Chicago Bears 1984 sacks leaders
Richard Dent: 17.5
Dan Hampton: 11.5
Steve McMichael: 10
For reference, all three of those Bears greats were elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The 63 sacks the team registered last season are good for the 14th-most in league history. But after posting nine sacks in Week 6, the Broncos now have 30 on the season, 10 more than the team with the second-most.
That puts the Broncos on a pace to end the 17-game season with 85 total sacks, which would destroy the number posted by the Bears. Many records of years past are falling in today's NFL with teams playing more games, but even an extra game couldn't explain that.
Vance Joseph has his defense flying all over the field and as of this writing, the Broncos have 12 different players with at least a half of a sack this season. That shows a total team effort, and one that could only get stronger.
The number of 72 sacks will be one to keep a focus on for the rest of this season, as the Broncos have the talent to break that number and plenty of time to do it.
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