Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

With all apologies in-advance of any errors, below is a list I complied of NFL (and also AFL) team-sack-leaders since 1950. Boy, do sacks and championships SO not correlate! Not even sacks and making it to the title game! And plenty upon plenty of non-playoff and also losing teams taking such titles in performing that very famous defensive play we all know so well. Take a look...

** - League Champion
* - League runner-up

1950 - Steelers (46)
1951 - Browns* (54)
1952 - Packers (55)
1953 - Eagles (51)
1954 - Forty Niners (46)
1955 - Bears (39)
1956 - Giants** (32)
1957 - Bears (60)
1958 - Bears (47)
1959 - Bears (32)
1960 - Bears (53), Oilers**/Texans (41)
1961 - Colts (51), Patriots (44)
1962 - Lions (57), Chargers (44)
1963 - Giants* (57), Patriots* (66)
1964 - Colts* (57), Patriots (47)
1965 - Lions (49), Chiefs (39)

** - Super Bowl champion
* - Super Bowl runner-up

1966 - Cowboys (60), Raiders (36)
1967 - Forty Niners (48), Raiders* (67)
1968 - Cowboys/Rams (51), Raiders (49)
1969 - Cowboys (55), Chiefs** (48)
1970 - Rams (53)
1971 - Broncos (44)
1972 - Forty Niners (46)
1973 - Washington (53)
1974 - Steelers** (52)
1975 - Colts (59)
1976 - Forty Niners (61)
1977 - Patriots (58)
1978 - Cowboys* (58)
1979 - Patriots (57)
1980 - Chargers (60)
1981 - Jets (66)
1982 - Raiders (38)
1983 - Cardinals (59)
1984 - Bears (72), RECORD (yeah, instead of '85)!
1985 - Giants (68)
1986 - Raiders (63)
1987 - Bears (70), but scab games included!
1988 - Rams (56)
1989 - Vikings (71)
1990 - Chiefs (60)
1991 - Eagles (55)
1992 - Saints (57)
1993 - Oilers (52)
1994 - Steelers (55)
1995 - Bills (49)
1996 - Panthers (60)
1997 - Saints (59)
1998 - Giants (54)
1999 - Rams**/Jaguars (57)
2000 - Saints (66)
2001 - Steelers (55)
2002 - Eagles (56)
2003 - Ravens (47)
2004 - Falcons (48)
2005 - Seahawks* (50)
2006 - Chargers (61)
2007 - Giants** (53)
2008 - Cowboys (59)
2009 - Vikings (48)
2010 - Steelers* (48)
2011 - Eagles/Vikings (50)
2012 - Broncos/Rams (52)
2013 - Panthers (60)
2014 - Bills (54)
2015 - Broncos** (52)
2016 - Cardinals (48)
2017 - Steelers (56)
2018 - Chiefs/Steelers (52)
2019 - Steelers (54)
2020 - Steelers (56)
2021 - Steelers (55)
2022 - Eagles* (70)

Now the Eagles did lead in sacks in 1949, but I do not have info on any AAFC sack totals. But just the same, only FIVE Lombardi winners have finished first in sacks! The '99 Rams - and tied with Jacksonville - is the one that really stood-out with me! 'Gritz Blitz' nowhere near tops in '77, and those five-consecutive Steelers years at the very end of the list! 2014 Bills no real surprise given the 'Outsiders'-statistical-kudos I've recenty read of them. Ditka's Saints in '97?? I didn't know they were actually 4th in defense that year (30th in offense, of course, no surprise)!

The Sack-Master, Sgt Rock, of course is behind three on this list. Thought I'd see his 'Silver Rush' in there, but their best sack-year, '78, with 55 was eclipsed by the defending-Champs/SB-returnees. '87 Bears "truly" at 70? Perhaps I'll roll up my sleeves and further explore each of the scab games, but it doesn't look good for Ditka's "guys" from what little I've already just seen! Twenty three sacks they recorded in those three games!! Eagles, Giants, Washington, and Dallas round out the top five at 57, 55, 53, and 51 respectively (Saints in 6th with 47). I ought to check it all out when I get the chance but it don't look good. In their scab-affair with each other, Eagles record just four sacks to Bears'...eleven!!

I came across an interesting stat on NFL Network in that these '22 Eagles and '74 Steelers are the only two teams, ever, to lead the league in sacks but not record a sack in the Super Bowl! To dominate Fran & Co in SBIX as the Curtain did yet without having to even record a SACK?? I guess it, sadly, means one thing end-of-day...sacks aren't "everything"!

Further thoughts (perhaps, corrections)?

Yeah recently, the Steelers would have all those sacks but get blown out in the playoffs. Makes you wonder ... Though the 74' team didnt have any sacks in the SB, Greenwood and Greene still had great games. The SB slippery field affected the Eagles and Philly last sunday but Saunders for KC getting the only sack was a huge hustle play because if he doesnt run Hurts out of bounds, Hurts gets at least another ten yards and its first and goal at the 10 yrd line with a 24-21 lead instead of the subsequent FG ...

Yep! Within the 12 non-scab-games of '87, da Bears aren't #1 in sacks! That title now goes to the defending-Champ/Football Outsiders "darlings", G-men (Top 25 All-Time best D the last 30 years, according to them)!

Below is the math applied in rounding out the new Top 5...

1) Giants: 55 - 4 = 51, yes just four total sacks in those three weeks!
2) Bears: 70 - 23 = 47
3) Eagles: 57 - 12 = 45
4) Raiders: 44 - 0 = 44
5) Saints: 47 - 8 = 39

As you see, the Raiders (originally at #8) leap forward due to zero scab sacks!

And look how far Dallas falls...

6) Washington: 53 - 15 = 38
7) Cardinals: 41 - 4 = 37
8) Patriots: 43 - 7 = 36
9) -tie- Vikings: 41 - 7 = 34, Chargers: 45 - 11 = 34
11) DALLAS: 51 - 19 (2nd to Bears) = 32


And here's the rest...

12) Seahawks 37 - 6 = 31
13) -tie- Bills: 34 - 4 = 30, Bengals: 40 - 10 = 30, Lions: 42 - 12 = 30
16) Packers: 34 - 5 = 29
17) -tie- Browns: 34 - 6 = 28, Rams: 38 - 10 = 28
19) -tie- Broncos: 31 - 4 = 27, Forty Niners: 37 - 10 = 27, Colts: 39 - 12 = 27
22) -tie- Chiefs: 26 - 0 (the OTHER goose egg) = 26, Buccaneers: 39 - 13 = 26
24) Oilers: 35 - 10 = 25
25) -tie- Steelers: 26 - 3 = 23, Jets: 29 - 6 = 23
27) Dolphins: 21 - 5 = 16
28) Falcons: 17 - 6 = 11

Now imagine how daunting a task it'd be to subtract all of the other stats from those three very weeks! Wins, losses, team offense, team defense, team and individual rushing yards, team and individual passing yards, etc. I think I'll pass on that.

EDIT - what I'm now seriously having a tough time figuring out...the World Champ '56 Giants led in sacks but at just a relative-paltry...32?? Can anyone, perhaps, come up with a theory as to why? What was going on in the League that very year that may have made things so different?

Reviving an almost-year-old thread, will this year’s Baltimore Ravens - who led the league this regular season with 60 sacks - be just the seventh NFL team in history to win the World Championship who also led the league in sacks?

With KC in 2nd at 57, and Bills at 54 - and both still being in the playoffs (play each other today, of course), and this all being based on the regular season - it now makes me wonder how many of these sack-leading teams since 1950 already listed still hold up if you factor the POST-season into the mix? Not an exercise that I, myself, am willing to roll up my sleeves and partake in, nor would expect anyone else to do, but just a curiosity.

Let’s take this post-season thus far. The Dolphins, who I didn’t mention last paragraph, finished 3rd in 2023 with 56 sacks. They recorded none in their 1st Rd loss at KC last week whilst the Chiefs themselves recorded two thus raising their total to 59. The Bills, however, are still in 4th behind eliminated Miami due to just garnering a single sack over Pittsburgh last Monday to make it 55. As for top-dog Baltimore, who played yesterday, despite the rout they actually recorded zero sacks vs Houston thus their total lead over KC narrows to 1.

Below are all of this year's playoff teams. Their regular season sack total, plus amounts of sacks thus far in the post-season each game (separated by comma), and then the total. I'll update it after both of today's games (then after the CCs as well as the SB).

Teams still in the playoffs are in italics

Ravens - 60 + 0 = 60
Chiefs - 57 + 2, 0 = 59
Dolphins - 56 + 0 = 56
Bills - 54 + 1, 0 = 55
Texans - 46 + 4, 3 = 53
Buccaneers - 48 + 3, 2 = 53
Packers - 45 + 4, 1 = 50
Browns - 49 + 0 = 49
Steelers 47 + 2 = 49
Forty Niners - 48 + 0 = 48
Lions - 41 + 3, 4 = 48
Eagles (last year's top-dog) - 43 + 4 = 47
Cowboys - 46 + 0 = 46
Rams - 41 + 2 = 43

The best non-playoff team was Indy with 51. The worst of them all? Carolina at 27.

PS - as for Pro Football Reference, IMO instead of it saying "Sacked-Yards" under team stats, it should read, "Sacks-Yards". Sometimes I accidentally see it as the other way around. This leads me to wonder if when dissecting the scabs games last year on this thread, if I may have made mistakes. I did do a quick glance at the Bears' scab games and see that I, indeed, did it right (still 23 scab sacks) which - in addition to not wanting to take that long 27 team/51 game journey again - assures me enough that I did the rest right. Apologies if not the case.

The Eagles drop off at the end of this year was simply due to their lack of pressure. Went from 70 sacks to 43 I think. Like you said on another post, 74_75_78_79, very similar to their collapse in 1981. I think their pass rush dropped off at the end of that year as well.

Brian wolf wrote: ↑Sun Jan 21, 2024 1:22 pm The Eagles drop off at the end of this year was simply due to their lack of pressure. Went from 70 sacks to 43 I think. Like you said on another post, 74_75_78_79, very similar to their collapse in 1981. I think their pass rush dropped off at the end of that year as well.

The Eagles, and 8-8 Steelers, were tied for 10th in sacks at 40 in 1981. Not only did Klecko/Gastineau's NY Sack Exchange lead that very year with 66 as already listed, but 2nd-place was far away at 52 by the SB-hungover Raiders. The G-men, in LT's rookie year, posted 44.

As for those '81 Eagles, they were at 28 sacks after Week #11 when they were alone atop the league for just one final week at 9-2 (thanks to Lions & Browns respectively). Looking at their four-game slide that followed...they garner just one sack vs NYG, three at Miami on MNF, just one at RFK, and a goose egg at Big D for the Dallas sweep! But then in that 38-0 dismantling of the Cards in the finale...seven (only to then muster just one in the WCG loss to Giants)!

The Birds had just four more sacks in their Super Bowl season the year prior at 44 with Claude leading the way at 15.5, Hairston with 9! And in 1979 they had 45 with the top-two switching places - Hairston with 15.5 this time, Claude with 11! And just 29 in Vermeil's '78 playoff debut. Swamp Fox and Buddy Ball two different animals defense-philosphy-wise. Not quite as blitz-heavy were Marion's Philly units.


Never thought of this until now (didn't think it at time of posting this thread a year ago), but the Bears, to me, still have the record. But instead of it being their '84 year-before-SB-Shuffle unit, I see they having the record based on 1957 instead! There were only 12 games that year as opposed to 16. Divide the '57 Bears' 60 sacks by 12 and you got an even 5. Divide their 72 in '84 by 16...an exact 4.5! Even the '52 Packers, with their 55 sacks, get the per-game nod at 4.58! And the '51 Browns (54)? Tied with '84 Bears, also at an exact 4.5! And as for the #1 AFL defense of '63 - yes, Swamp Fox the DL coach - the Patriots 66 sacks in 14 games also places them above '84 Bears at 4.7!

Makes me wonder if there are other teams prior to '78 who didn't finish first in sacks, but maybe a strong-2nd or 3rd, who were better per-game as well? I'm going to guess not. You'd only, really, have to look at '52, '57, and '63 AFL to see.

74_75_78_79_ wrote: ↑Sun Jan 21, 2024 12:53 pm Reviving an almost-year-old thread, will this year’s Baltimore Ravens - who led the league this regular season with 60 sacks - be just the seventh NFL team in history to win the World Championship who also led the league in sacks?

Of course I should have added, "since 1950". I did mention the '49 Eagles OP. Perhaps there are other sack-leaders besides them who won-it-all prior.

EDIT - I just peeked at '52, '57, and the '63 AFL. As expected, no team came up with more than 4.5 per-game. Unless there's a pre-'50 team nestled in there...