Every NFL team's single-game sack record holder

Two former teammates share this record, which stands at five. A Jones 2020 injury led to Reddick, initially miscast as an inside linebacker, being given a shot to replace him. This changed the former first-rounder’s career path, with the performance — featuring three forced fumbles — against the Giants on a dreary December day doing the most on that route. Reddick signed with the Panthers in 2021, and Jones returned. In Week 1, the All-Pro torched the Titans. Jones’ five-sack day included two forced fumbles in a 38-13 win. This doubled as J.J. Watt’s Cardinals debut and launched a playoff bid.

Clayborn capitalized on circumstances to tie for the second-most productive sack day in NFL history. The 2011 first-round pick played 10 seasons and topped six sacks in just two of them. This performance against the Cowboys in November 2017 vaulted Clayborn to a career-high 9.5 that year. A Tyron Smith injury laid the groundwork, with Clayborn overpowering backup Chaz Green in a Falcons 27-7 home win. Clayborn stripped Dak Prescott twice in a win that helped Atlanta to the playoffs as a wild-card team and proved costly to a Dallas team that missed the postseason. Green played four more NFL seasons but logged just two starts combined.

Teammates from 1997-2002, McCrary and Boulware played integral roles for the Ravens’ world-conquering 2000 defense. The two edge rushers — Nos. 2 and 3 on Baltimore’s all-time sack list — each posted four-sack days. The elder of the two, McCrary signed with the Ravens in 1997 and did his most damage against the Raiders a year later. Starting QB Jeff George aggravated a groin injury, and McCrary teed off on backup Donald Hollas. Boulware got to Vikings backup Spurgeon Wynn, forcing a fumble in his four-sack showing in the 2001 season finale. This capped a career-best sack season from Boulware, who totaled 15 to help the defending champions into the playoffs.

As the Texans unearthed a megastar in J.J. Watt, they let Williams walk in free agency. The former No. 1 overall pick signed with the Bills in 2012. He delivered three straight 10-plus-sack seasons in Buffalo, reaching 13 in 2013. Targeting another former No. 1 pick in Cam Newton, Williams totaled 4.5 sacks against the playoff-bound Panthers in a September 2013 game. A Newton trip and step out of bounds contributed to part of this total, as Williams notched sacks rushing from both defensive end positions. The Bills prevailed 24-23, though the Panthers rallied to finish 12-4 and claim the NFC’s No. 2 seed.

On that journey back from 0-2, the Panthers received a breakout season from Hardy. Before an ugly off-field incident defined the defensive end’s shortened pro career, Hardy earned second-team All-Pro honors in his fourth season. Hardy reached a career-best 15 sacks in 2013, with a four-sack outing against the Falcons doing the most to push him there. The Panthers sacked Matt Ryan nine times in the season finale; Hardy led the way in a performance that featured eight QB hits. This showing prompted the Panthers to use the franchise tag on Hardy in 2014, but the domestic abuse incident occurred that offseason, changing the D-end’s career path.

Raiders matchups regularly meant big stats for Dent, who tallied both his Bears-record outings against the then-Los Angeles-based team. The 1984 Bears still hold the single-season sack record, with 72; Dent’s day against the Raiders at Soldier Field did the most to propel them there. The Hall of Fame defensive end accounted for half of Chicago’s nine sacks on Marc Wilson and backup David Humm in a November Bears win. Three years later, Dent met Wilson again at the Los Angeles Coliseum. All of Dent’s sacks came against Wilson this time, sealing a 6-3 Bears win in the 1987 season finale. The latter outing cinched up an 11-4 Bears record.

Signed to a $6 million-per-year deal as a free agent in 2008, Odom sustained two major injuries in his Bengals debut. In Week 2 of the ’09 season, the former Titans draft choice announced his comeback by hounding Aaron Rodgers. Early in his breakout season, the future four-time MVP could not evade Odom, who recorded five sacks in 31-24 Bengals win at Lambeau Field. Odom tallied five of the Bengals’ six sacks in their win, one that helped Marvin Lewis’ team down a path that produced an AFC North title. The sixth-year defensive end only tallied three more sacks the rest of the way but remains atop this Bengals list 15 years later.

During a season that ended with Matt Nagy’s firing, the head coach encountered heavy criticism for how he used Justin Fields. The 2021 first-round pick was under fire during a Week 3 game in Cleveland. Making his first NFL start, the overwhelmed rookie took nine sacks in what became a harbinger of a sack-prone career. Garrett registered 4.5 that day, running amok for a Browns team that won 26-6. A former No. 1 overall pick, Garrett used this day to propel him toward a Browns single-season record of 16 sacks. He matched that total in 2022. 

In a game that doubled as Joe Theismann’s final completed contest, the longtime Washington quarterback saw plenty of Jeffcoat. The third-year defensive end racked up five of the Cowboys’ six sacks on that November day, which turned into a 13-7 Dallas victory at RFK Stadium. As Washington focused its blocking plan on future Hall of Fame defensive tackle Randy White, Jeffcoat pounced and sustained success from his right D-end position. Eventually playing 15 NFL seasons (12 in Dallas), Jeffcoat compiled 102.5 career sacks. Theismann suffered his career-ending broken leg the following week against the Giants. 

Von Miller somehow is not part of this contingent, but one of the future Hall of Famer’s teammates is. Dumervil, Fletcher and Mecklenburg each produced four-sack games. Most impressively, Mecklenburg did this twice in the same season. A versatile player who would camp at various positions across Denver’s front seven, Mecklenburg was not a starter when he feasted on Saints QB Dave Wilson in Week 2. He was when he repeated the four-sack feat in Pittsburgh in Week 13. Mecklenburg earned first-team All-Pro acclaim in a 13-sack season. Denver’s all-time sack leader pre-Miller, Fletcher battered Rich Gannon in a 1990 loss to the Vikings. En route to an NFL-most 17 sacks in 2009, Dumervil got to future teammate Brady Quinn in a 27-6 win.

Aidan Hutchinson took aim at this record in Week 1 but fell short. Gay’s 5.5-sack showing more than 40 years ago is tied for third in the official sack era. Gay did his damage against Buccaneers quarterbacks Jack Thompson and Jerry Golsteyn in an 11-0 Lions Week 1 win. Detroit completed a seven-sack day, notching a safety that did not go to Gay. Rather, Silver Rush partner Doug English was responsible. Gay’s performance led the way on a day with no touchdowns, setting the Lions on course to an NFC Central title. Transitioning from defensive tackle to defensive end in ’83, Gay tallied a career-best 13.5 sacks. 

Drew Bledsoe remains in the top 15 all time for sacks taken; no one did better against the stationary QB in a single game than Holliday. The young Packers edge rusher dropped Bledsoe five times during the QB’s Bills debut season. This standout Week 16 performance included three forced fumbles, with Holliday’s surge being necessary in a game that featured only 10 Packer points. Green Bay, however, held Buffalo scoreless. Holliday finished off the effort by stymying the Bills’ final drive with a sack-strip. Holliday had only one sack entering play that day; he soon signed with a then-defensively deficient Chiefs team for five years and $21.3 million.

Watt is the only NFLer in the sack era to notch two 20-sack seasons. Not on this list, the legendary D-line presence did his work over time. During Watt’s rookie year, both Barwin and Mario Williams were on Houston’s roster. Barwin’s name remains atop the single-game Texans sack list, as he rolled to a four-sack day against the Jaguars. Barwin soared to 10 tackles in Houston’s 20-13 win in Jacksonville, a Week 12 Texans conquest that included the edge rusher sacking rookie Blaine Gabbert three times and backup Luke McCown once. This showing helped Houston secure its first playoff berth weeks later.

Withstanding the careers of Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis, Cooks’ record has lasted 40 years. Defending champions in 1984, the Raiders are also part of Cooks’ mark. In addition to allowing 4.5 Richard Dent sacks that year, Los Angeles yielded 4.5 to Cooks. The former No. 2 overall pick also besieged Marc Wilson, who was on the wrong end of every sack in this December matchup. Unlike the Bears, however, the Raiders still held on for a win, keeping a sub-.500 Colts team at bay in a 21-7 victory. Neither Freeney nor Mathis finished with four sacks in a game; Cooks — a linebacker who played 10 seasons — only topped five sacks in one of those seasons. 

Campbell had one of the greatest debuts of any free agent in NFL history. The 2017 Jaguars signing made an instant impact, finishing off a relentless pass rush — to the point it commanded an instant nickname. “Sacksonville” was born in Week 1 in Houston, as the Jags stampeded for 10 sacks. Campbell was responsible for four. The 6-foot-8 D-lineman did most of his damage against Texans Week 1 starter Tom Savage, making the bridge to Deshaun Watson quite short. The first-round pick entered the fray and relegated Savage to the bench moving forward. Starting a 14.5-sack season, Campbell dropped Savage for 3.5 of his four Week 1 sacks.

The single-game sack kingpin not only holds the record for most sacks in a game (seven), he is tied for second as well, registering six in a game eight years later. While Thomas used his legendarily fast get-off to feast on the Raiders in Week 17 of the 1998 season, his masterpiece came in his second NFL slate. The 1989 first-rounder made future teammate Dave Krieg’s day miserable, with one of Thomas’ sacks leading to a Dan Saleaumua end zone fumble recovery. Thomas forced two fumbles in a game also remembered for Krieg ducking a would-be eighth Thomas sack and firing a game-winning heave to Paul Skansi in a 17-16 Seattle walk-off at Arrowhead.

Both these performances came against Super Bowl-bound teams. Long ran wild against against a Washington team that set the NFL scoring record, while Mack overwhelmed the Broncos during Brock Osweiler’s stretch at the helm. Both Raiders reached five sacks. In his third season, Long dropped Joe Theismann each time, doing so in a 37-35 shootout the Raiders lost. Los Angeles avenged the defeat in Super Bowl XVIII. Mack was in Year 2 when he ran into an injury-laden Denver O-line and an inexperienced QB. His surge keyed a Week 14 Oakland upset, coming a year before the former top-five pick earned Defensive Player of the Year honors.

Years after Mack’s Raiders career, he ran into his former team. This Raiders edition entered Week 4 of the 2023 season in a vulnerable spot, turning to a then-overmatched backup (Aidan O’Connell) in relief of Jimmy Garoppolo. Mack stormed to a career-best six sacks in O’Connell’s NFL debut, with this game reminding fans of his takeover in Denver eight years earlier. O’Connell stayed in throughout, and while he improved as the season progressed, Mack pounced on a fourth-round rookie who was not yet a capable starter. Neither of the AFC West clubs’ head coaches in Week 4 — Josh McDaniels and Brandon Staley — finished the season. 

Traded from the Giants to the Rams in 1983, Jeter settled in as a key player for a few playoff-bound teams. His finest hour came in his penultimate season, which included a September matchup against the Raiders. Marc Wilson was not involved in this effort, but his successor — Steve Beuerlein — dealt with Jeter throughout a 22-17 Rams win. Rushing from a defensive tackle spot on a D-line that featured future Hall of Famer Kevin Greene, Jeter zoomed to five sacks. By this point, the 33-year-old defender was a rotational rush specialist. He shined in L.A., keying a career-high 11.5 sacks that season for a playoff team. 

The Dolphins found Wake as a CFL import, and he became one of the best pass rushers in team history. In his fourth NFL season, Wake broke through for 4.5 sacks in a September matchup with the Cardinals. This came during the Cards’ period between Kurt Warner and Carson Palmer, and Wake made pass protection tough for a team rolling out Kevin Kolb. While this launched a 15-sack Wake slate — a career-high total for a player who reached 100.5 career sacks — Kolb finished with 324 yards and led the Cardinals to a 24-21 win. 

Arriving as a first-round pick in 1978, Holloway missed the Vikings’ glory years. But he was a mainstay on Minnesota’s defenses for an extended period. This ended in 1984, when the Vikings waived him. This departure came weeks after Holloway dropped Steve Bartkowski five times in a 27-20 Vikings victory in the Metrodome. Holloway, who began his career with Purple People Eaters Carl Eller and Jim Marshall still rostered, ended up being cut barely a month later. But his sack-era record has now stood 40 years, surviving the likes of Chris Doleman, John Randle and Jared Allen.

Prolific sackers did not populate Bill Belichick’s pass rushes often, with the Patriots’ scheme regularly winning out compared to individual talent. Still, Carter represents an interesting record holder, seeing as he was a Patriot for all of two abbreviated seasons. The former first-round pick enjoyed a 13-year career, one that statistically peaked on a November 2011 day. Carter sacked Mark Sanchez four times in a 37-16 Patriots win over the Jets in New Jersey. Better known for his San Francisco and Washington years, Carter totaled 80.5 sacks as a pro. He started all 14 games for the Pats in 2011 but missed Super Bowl XLVI due to injury.

No Saint has surpassed four sacks in a game, leaving a six-way tie split (at four sacks) between four players. Unsurprisingly, Dome Patrol is heavily represented. En route to the Hall of Fame, Jackson reached four against the Falcons in 1986 and Lions in 1988. His OLB mate, Swilling, matched this by chasing down Vinny Testaverde in a romp over the Buccaneers. A less-heralded but productive teammate of the LB stars, Martin also hit this mark twice. The D-lineman first did so as a Jackson-Swilling wingman, sacking Billy Joe Tolliver four times in a Saints 1992 win over the Falcons. With Jackson and Swilling long gone, Martin made a 1997 game rough for immobile Lions QB Scott Mitchell. Jordan hounded Matt Ryan in a 2019 Saints Thursday night win over the Falcons.

Sometimes a favorable matchup can lead to a history-making performance. Umenyiora made his tussle with then-rookie Eagles left tackle Winston Justice count. With the Giants recovering from an 0-2 start during their Super Bowl XLII-winning season, Umenyiora made sure they prevailed in a September Sunday night game. Umenyiora sacked Donovan McNabb six times, five coming against Justice, who was making his first career start. The Giants dropped McNabb 12 times in a 16-3 win, with Umenyiora also forcing two fumbles early in a 13-sack season.

Gastineau’s early-1980s sprees helped the NFL begin to tally player sacks, and the boisterous defensive end remained in his prime early in the sack era. Both of Gastineau’s four-sack games came against the Colts, with all eight sacks in that two-year period coming against QB Mike Pagel. The first involved the Baltimore Colts; the second outing came in Indianapolis. The latter Gastineau effort helped drive him to a then-record 22 sacks in a season; he also led the NFL with 19 sacks in 1983. The best Jets pass rusher since Gastineau, Abraham sacked Saints QB Aaron Brooks four times in a November 2001 Jets win in New Orleans. 

The 1991 Eagles defense was not to be taken lightly. Despite this squad narrowly missing the playoffs (in a season mostly without Randall Cunningham), the All-Pro First Team included three Eagles D-linemen. Joining Reggie White and Jerome Brown on that top All-Pro squad, Simmons revealed this defense’s capabilities early by dropping Troy Aikman 4.5 times in a 24-0 Week 3 win in Dallas. The Cowboys rallied to the playoffs, but Simmons ran amok in a game that included 11 Eagles sacks. Facing overmatched rookie Ryan Leaf, Douglas matched that 4.5 number in an October outing in San Diego. Despite the DE’s impressive showing, the Chargers won that game, 13-10.

The Steelers’ Blitzburgh defense lost muscle in 1996, seeing Kevin Greene defect in free agency and Greg Lloyd go down after one game. This created an opportunity for Brown, who broke out to set up a lengthy career. The Steelers dropped Bengals passer Jeff Blake 10 times during a 20-10 October win in Pittsburgh; Brown was the ringleader, registering 4.5 to beat up a downtrodden Cincinnati offense. Vacillating between on- and off-ball roles during his 15-year career, Brown used this game as a platform to his Pro Bowl and produce a 13-sack season — his only campaign in double-digit territory.

The 49ers pulled off some impactful trades during their near-`20-year run of dominance; few mattered more than their 1981 Dean acquisition. Pried from a thrifty Chargers team, Dean provided the 49ers with a proven edge rusher. He picked up where he left off in Southern California, helping San Francisco to two Super Bowl wins. The Hall of Famer’s best day in a November matchup against the Saints, with that box score including six sacks. Starting for an injured Ken Stabler, Dave Wilson took all six sacks from the 49ers defensive end during a 27-0 romp at Candlestick Park. Dean reached a career-high 17.5 sacks on the back of this outing.

Like the Saints, the Seahawks have several pass rushers sharing their mark. This array of rushers produced four-sack games. Green got there first, with his performance being perhaps the most impressive due to it coming against Phil Simms and the eventual Super Bowl-champion Giants. This was New York’s final loss that season. McCrary and Sinclair joined him 10 years later. Sinclair did his damage against John Elway, while McCrary found rush lanes against the Raiders. Dropping the ’07 Rams to 0-7, the Seahawks received Tapp’s best sack day. Starting an unparalleled run of four straight seasons with the top-ranked defense, the ’12 Seahawks saw Clemons smother Aaron Rodgers in the “Fail Mary” game. 

Jones, Rice and Barrett share the Buccaneers’ crown at four. Jones is the interesting name here, as Rice and Barrett played lead rush roles for Super Bowl-winning teams. Jones, however, played six Tampa Bay seasons — the last as part of a Rice-Warren Sapp D-line. In an October 2000 loss to the Lions, Jones pressured Charlie Batch relentlessly. A knee injury would end Jones’ career midway through the Bucs’ Super Bowl-winning 2002 slate. Rice’s day helped the Bucs rout Steve Spurrier’s Washington squad, while Barrett’s came during Daniel Jones’ first NFL start. On his way to an NFL-high 19.5 sacks, Barrett made Jones’ debut difficult — but the Giants still won in a 32-31 shootout.

After a 1-4 start, the 1993 Oilers closed their regular season with 11 straight wins. This turnaround was steeped in off-field chaos, but Buddy Ryan’s defense did well to complement Kevin Gilbride’s offense — on the field, at least — during a resilient effort. Fuller highlighted Ryan’s one-and-done Houston defensive coordinator season by sacking Steelers QBs Neil O’Donnell and Mike Tomczak a combined four times in a 23-3 win in the Astrodome. Part of all seven Oilers playoff teams from 1987-93, the talented defensive end played 13 seasons and finished his career with 100.5 sacks.

Five players share Washington’s sack title, with a representative from four decades. The enigmatic Manley’s record stood for nearly a decade, and the gifted edge rusher found his way to Phil Simms repeatedly in a narrow Washington loss to the Giants. Harvey’s effort also came against the Giants — in a tie game best remembered for Gus Frerotte headbutting a wall — while Daniels ran up against sack-prone Cowboys QB Drew Bledsoe in a 35-7 Washington win eight years later. Three of Orakpo’s four sacks against the ’09 Raiders came against JaMarcus Russell — in the infamous No. 1 pick’s final season — while Kerrigan’s showing came in a rout of the Jaguars, who began the Blake Bortles era the next week.