What is a sack in American Football - and which sack set the record for the most yards lost?

When a defensive player breaks through and takes down the quarterback, it can change the course of the drive and, in some cases, even the outcome of the game.

DAZN News explains what a sack is and shares details of the biggest sack in NFL history.

What is a sack?

Most commonly, a sack occurs when a member of the defense tackles the quarterback of the team in possession while he is behind the line of scrimmage.

Technically, a sack can occur on a non-quarterback, but only if that player is intending to pass the football forward; otherwise, it is known as a tackle for loss.

A sack is also registered to the defense if the quarterback (or passer) is forced out of bounds behind the line of scrimmage due to pressure.

Sacks result in a loss of down for the offense and can force the line of scrimmage to move back several yards.

If the quarterback loses possession of the football in the process and fumbles the ball, it is known as a strip sack. Strip sacks can be recovered by the defense and potentially returned for a touchdown.

Bruce Smith holds the all-time NFL record for career sacks, racking up 200 between 1985 and 2003.

What is the biggest sack ever?

The biggest yardage loss on a play due to a sack happened to the most unlikely of quarterbacks - Patrick Mahomes.

In 2020, the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback was sacked for a loss of 30 yards in their game against the Miami Dolphins by linebacker Jerome Baker.

Even the best in the business are not immune to getting sacked once in a while, especially if they are playing behind a porous offensive line.

Click this link for more details about other NFL rules and objectives .

Watch the full NFL season on DAZN

Get every game of the NFL season, including the preseason, regular season, playoffs, and Super Bowl, with NFL Game Pass on DAZN.

For pricing and more information, click here.