Bengals defensive end Carlos Dunlap had a very good first half of this season, with 8.5 sacks through eight games. But he’s setting his sights higher. A lot higher.
Dunlap says his goal is to break Michael Strahan’s NFL record of 22.5 sacks in a season.
“I’d rather shoot high and fall somewhere in between,” Dunlap told ESPN. “I want to hit the ceiling, as well. But that record is something I keep reminding myself of so I can push for that.”
Dunlap would need more than 14 sacks in the next eight games to break Strahan’s record. Considering that Dunlap has never even had 10 sacks in a season, it seems unlikely that he’ll have 14 sacks in eight games.
But it’s realistic to think Dunlap could lead the league in sacks this year. He’s currently tied with Texans defensive end J.J. Watt for second, one behind Patriots defensive end Chandler Jones, who leads the NFL with 9.5 sacks. Dunlap is having his best season — even if he’s not particularly close to the best pass-rushing season of all time.