Eagles come up just short of breaking NFL single-season sack record

Entering Week 18, the Philadelphia Eagles had already set multiple franchise and league records with the amount of sacks they have accumulated this season. On Sunday afternoon against the New York Giants, the Birds had a chance to break the most difficult NFL sack record: most sacks recorded by one team in one season.

Only two teams since the turn of the century (2006 San Diego Chargers, 61.0; 2000 New Orleans Saints, 66.0) even recorded more than 60 sacks in a season and the Eagles have streaked past that. The Birds ended the year with an even 70 sacks and will go down as the team tied for the third most sacks in a season.

In the third quarter, Kyzir White took down Giants tight end Lawrence Cager, who was attempting a pass on a trick play, for the team’s 70th sack of the year to tie the 1987 Chicago Bears for third place. Entering the game, they needed four to tie the 1984 Bears at 72 sacks, and five to break the record, the Birds defense got QB take downs from Zech McPhearson and White.

Last week against the New Orleans Saints, the Eagles racked up seven quarterback sacks to set a new franchise record that had stood since the 1989 Eagles defense recorded 62 sacks. Haason Reddick and Brandon Graham each had two sacks in the game while Fletcher Cox, Javon Hargrave, and Milton Williams all added one sack of their own.

With his tenth and eleventh sacks against New Orleans, the ageless veteran Graham set a new, personal single-season sack record in his 13th year in the league. He joined Reddick (16), Hargrave (11), and Josh Sweat (11) as Eagles who have double digit sacks this season.

No other team in NFL history has had four different players with 10+ sacks in a season except for the 2022 Philadelphia Eagles. In fact, only two other teams have had four players with 9.0 sacks or more in a season, the 1989 Vikings (Chris Doleman 21.0, Keith Millard 18.0, Al Noga 11.5, Henry Thomas 9.0) and the 2006 Ravens (Trevor Pryce 13.0, Adalius Thomas 11.0, Bart Scott 9.5, Terrell Suggs 9.5).

The Eagles beat the Giants 22-16 on Sunday to secure the NFC East title, the No. 1 seed in the NFC, and a first round bye in the playoffs.