Houston Texans: most sacks in a season

Edge rusher J.J. Watt inspired fear throughout his time donning a Houston Texans uniform. 

According to Statmuse, the 2011 first-round selection holds four out of the top five seasons for the highest sack totals in Houston Texans' history. With 114.5 career sacks to his name, Watt was a consistent nightmare for opposing quarterbacks, but it was his 2012 and 2014 seasons that etched him in the team record books. 

In each of those seasons, Watt accumulated 20.5 sacks, the third-highest single-season tally of all time behind legendary edge rushers Michael Strahan and Mark Gastineau of the New York Giants and Jets respectively. 

Watt’s 2012 campaign saw him record multiple sacks in six contests, including two games with three sacks in a four-week span against the Detroit Lions and Indianapolis Colts according to ESPN. His prominence along the defensive line helped the Texans finish with a 12-4 record, the best mark in team history.

Watt’s 2014 season also featured two games of three sacks, both against their AFC South rival Jacksonville Jaguars down the stretch of the regular season. While totaling the same number of sacks, Watt was able to do so in a more spread-out fashion. 

Per ESPN, Watt was able to record a sack in 12 out of a possible 16 regular season contests, showcasing to the rest of the league that regardless of opponent, scheme, and means to stop him in the offensive game plan, he would still get his numbers. 

Having one season of 20+ sacks is hard enough to do, but the fact that Watt did so in two of his first five seasons in the league, showed just how much of a generational talent he was and why his status as the top edge rusher in Texans history is undisputed.

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