There’s a logjam at the top of the NFL sack leader chart in 2021. Players like T.J. Watt and Myles Garrett have routinely been at the top of the list all season, but there are a number of names who are a big week away from stealing the title this year.
T.J. Watt, Myles Garrett, Nick Bosa are current NFL sack leaders in 2021
Before Monday night’s Week 17 action, Robert Quinn leads the NFL in sacks with 18. T.J. Watt is just behind him with 17.5 sacks in 2021. While recording his seventh multi-sack game of the season in Week 14, Watt also broke Pittsburgh’s single-season sack record, passing James Harrison’s 2008 16-sack campaign.
Harrison’s franchise sack record may not be the only one that gets broken this season. Myles Garrett has 15 sacks on the season, only 2.5 sacks behind Watt. Both Watt and Garrett sit 5 and 7.5 sacks, respectively, behind former Giants great Michael Strahan’s sack record of 22.5 set 20 years ago.
Who is leading the NFL in sacks in 2021?
Below is a list of current NFL sack leaders in 2021:
1. Robert Quinn, Chicago Bears – 18
2. T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh Steelers – 17.5
T3. Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns – 15
T3. Nick Bosa, San Francisco 49ers – 15
5. Trey Hendrickson, Cincinnati Bengals – 13
6. Micah Parsons, Dallas Cowboys – 13
T7. Aaron Donald, Los Angeles Rams – 12.5
T7. Matthew Judon, New England Patriot – 12.5
9. Harold Landry III, Tennessee Titans – 12
Can Garrett surpass Watt and Quinn for the most sacks in 2021?
Both Garrett and Watt have been tied together since they were selected in the 2017 NFL Draft. The Steelers drafted Garrett first overall while the Browns took Watt 30th. Since then, both pass rushers have been menacing in the AFC North, recording a combined 124.5 sacks. Their connection in the same draft class and the same division makes it a fun race for the league lead in 2021. For what it’s worth, Watt was the sack leader in 2020, finishing the year with 15.