The 2021 True Sack Rate (TSR): Week 16 Update

Welcome back everyone for the Week 16 update to the TSR. A full explanation of this project with a detailed definition of terms can be found here. If you are new to the TSR, here are the final leaderboards from the 2020 season for edge-rusher and interior D-line.

My objective with the TSR is to identify which rushers utilized the highest level of skill against the most difficult set of circumstances to record a sack. We will be able to more accurately evaluate sack and pass-rush production as a whole for the position through this process.

First, a few notes:

• 724 sacks by 129 players have been charted and graded so far.

• All sacks are graded with the end zone and/or sideline copies of the film.

• Half sacks were counted as full sacks if the rusher beat the blocker and was going to likely take down the quarterback without the help of a teammate.

• Sacks were not counted if the QB got back to the line of scrimmage.

• All graphs are made by John Pulice. A special thank you to Justin Scarpaci for building the formulas inside Google sheets to help make this project come alive.

Edge Results through Week 16

Listed below is the current top 37 in ‘sack score’ among edge defenders in the NFL (minimum score of 5).

• Robert Quinn has extended his lead in the sack score this season and is the only pass rusher with 10 high quality sacks. Quinn’s get-off and bend around the corner have been a nightmare for opposing tackles this year. He has recaptured the traits that have made him one of the most talented edge rushers the NFL has seen over the last couple of decades and now has multiple seasons in his career with 17 or more sacks.

• After missing the bulk of the 2020 season, Nick Bosa hasn’t missed a start this year and is firmly one of the few tier one edge-rushers in just his third season. With the ability to win with power, speed or crafty hands, there isn’t a reliable way for tackles to approach stopping him.

• Rookie Micah Parsons ranks 5th in sack score and has done it from a multitude of alignments, including five sacks as an off-ball linebacker. With stunning quickness and burst, Parsons sets up most of his sacks with a stutter/hesitation to get the feet of blockers stopped before swiping their hands and blowing past them.

• Cameron Jordan has been on a tear as of late and is the only rusher in football with two rare high quality sacks, both against Bucs star RT Tristan Wirfs. Wirfs got the better of Jordan in both of their matchups last season and it looked like Jordan has lost a step over that time as well. Jordan has proved that his power is still largely there while his skill-set and ability to string moves together hasn’t gone anywhere. While he is past his prime, he is still a menace from his wide 9 alignment armed with a library of potent moves to unleash against opposing tackles.

• One of the only players older than Jordan on this list is Carlos Dunlap, another guy who has a unique skill-set built on elite length and sneaky power in his bull-rush. Three of Dunlap’s five high quality sacks have come using the bull-rush with the other two using inside rip or club moves. When listing the most effective power rushers that can win down the middle or inside, Dunlap should be high on the list.