Terrell Suggs four sacks away from breaking career postseason record

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With a big postseason, Chiefs pass rusher Terrell Suggs could break the NFL’s record for career sacks in the playoffs.

So far in his career, Suggs has recorded 12.5 sacks in 18 postseason games, all with the Ravens. Now with the Chiefs, Suggs will face Deshaun Watson and the Texans on Sunday, and he could close in on the all-time record.

Suggs is currently third in career postseason sacks, behind Bruce Smith, who had 14.5 sacks in 20 postseason games with the Bills, and Willie McGinest, who had 16 sacks in 18 postseason games with the Patriots. So Suggs needs four sacks to break the record.

Sacks have only been an official statistic since 1982, so calling the career sack record an all-time record is a big misleading. We don’t know, for instance, how many sacks Mean Joe Greene had in his 17 postseason games with the Steelers. But we do know that Suggs has been getting after quarterbacks in the postseason like few players the NFL has seen.

27 responses to “Terrell Suggs four sacks away from breaking career postseason record

  1. Mean Joe had 78.5 sacks in 181 career games played including 17 playoff games. Roughly one sack every two games. Simple math says that in 17 post season games he had somewhere around 8-9 postseason sacks. As they were unofficial and not tracked it could be higher by today’s definition. Mean Joe was great but it would have to add a lot more sacks to reach almost three times those numbers.

  2. Mean Joe did not sack too many quarterbacks. His teammate, defensive end LC Greenwood, probably had more sacks than Greene. Greene is more likely to knock down passes than he is to sack the quarterback. He lines up between the guard and the center on most downs, and he gets double teamed, so as to let his undersized but speedy middle linebacker Jack Lambert make tackles sideline to sideline. In the old days, the center often blocks the middle linebacker. That was why back in those days middle linebackers were big, like Hacksaw Reynolds and Matt Millen, both of them playing for the 49ers after spending their early careers with LA and Oakland. I am surprised Reggie White is not one of the leaders in sacks in playoff games. He was pretty dominant as a pass rusher for Green Bay.

  3. It could take forever with the Chiefs who make the playoffs every year but then bow out when Andy inevitably tightens up and chokes out a loss.

  4. This guy has 12.5 sacks in 18 playoff games

    Willie has 16 in 18 playoff Games…

    When comparing stats it look clear…. Willie was a better player….. even if suggs ends up playing more games in order to break Willie’s record…….

  5. Harvey Martin of the Cowboys has the true regular season sack record. 23 in 14 games in ’82. yet he’s not in the HOF.

  6. Really hope he makes it.
    It’d be cool for a Ravens legend to have post season sack total and another Ravens legend to have post season interception total.

  7. Michael E says:

    Harvey Martin of the Cowboys has the true regular season sack record. 23 in 14 games in ’82.

    ____________

    Must have been a different year.
    1982 was a strike shortened season, only 9 regular season games were played.
    The last 14 game season was 1977.

  8. rideforjesus says:
    January 8, 2020 at 7:48 am
    This guy has 12.5 sacks in 18 playoff games

    Willie has 16 in 18 playoff Games…

    When comparing stats it look clear…. Willie was a better player….. even if suggs ends up playing more games in order to break Willie’s record…….”

    Better Player??? Willie made TWO pro-bowls, never won Defensive Player of the Year and has 86 career sacks. Suggs on the other hand has 139 career sacks (so far), has been selected for 7 pro bowls and was DPOY in 2011! Terrell will be fitted for that gold blazer long before Willie…and I doubt that Willie ever gets there unless he buys a ticket!!!

  9. Deacon Jones is the real sack leader.

    82 was a strike year.

    Jones is in the HOF

    Michael E says:
    January 8, 2020 at 8:05 am
    Harvey Martin of the Cowboys has the true regular season sack record. 23 in 14 games in ’82. yet he’s not in the HOF.

  10. nanner12wojo says:
    January 8, 2020 at 9:30 am

    Why doesn’t someone at NFL films watch every game pre-1982 and count sacks by player, by team, by game and add those stats to history?
    ________________________________

    It doesn’t matter. Since it was not tracked, less of an emphasis to get sacks would be in the mind of the players. Even player positioning would be manipulated based on a measurable metric.

  11. Agreed Good God how hard is that to do – just watch the films, count them up and list them. It’s now like there was no football before 1982. Get some intern etc explain what a sack is and count them. Fine put a star in the record books but please this is 2020.

  12. micktanner says:
    January 8, 2020 at 9:10 am
    rideforjesus says:
    January 8, 2020 at 7:48 am
    This guy has 12.5 sacks in 18 playoff games
    Willie has 16 in 18 playoff Games…
    When comparing stats it look clear…. Willie was a better player….. even if suggs ends up playing more games in order to break Willie’s record…….”
    Better Player??? Willie made TWO pro-bowls, never won Defensive Player of the Year and has 86 career sacks. Suggs on the other hand has 139 career sacks (so far), has been selected for 7 pro bowls and was DPOY in 2011! Terrell will be fitted for that gold blazer long before Willie…and I doubt that Willie ever gets there unless he buys a ticket!!!
    __________________________________________________________________________________
    My Bad….. should have said when it counts on playoff games, Willie comes UP bigger…you ok with that statement?

  13. Go Sizzle! Get them this week and if the Chiefs and Ravens win and manage to face off in Baltimore…please take a break.

  14. Suggs will miss sacking Brady in the playoffs!

    _____

    I didnt remember many of those so I searched. The best I could get was that as of 2013, Suggs sacked Brady 3 times in his career.

  15. rideforjesus says:
    January 8, 2020 at 7:48 am
    This guy has 12.5 sacks in 18 playoff games

    Willie has 16 in 18 playoff Games…

    When comparing stats it look clear…. Willie was a better player….. even if suggs ends up playing more games in order to break Willie’s record…….
    ——————————–
    Willie a better player? Are you kidding me? That’s laughable

  16. riverhorsey says:
    January 8, 2020 at 9:48 am
    Totally agree. Have some people watch the older games and get the stats.

    I volunteer to get paid to watch old football games!

  17. thecape15 says:
    January 8, 2020 at 11:46 am
    Suggs will miss sacking Brady in the playoffs!

    _____

    More like Suggs not showing up in the playoffs

  18. nanner12wojo says:
    January 8, 2020 at 9:30 am
    Why doesn’t someone at NFL films watch every game pre-1982 and count sacks by player, by team, by game and add those stats to history?

    —————————————————————————————-

    It’s not like they had NFL Sunday Ticket or Game Pass back then…not every game was televised. NFL Films didn’t even come around until the 1960’s.

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