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31 years to the day, Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Derrick Thomas broke the NFL’s single-game sack record.
The record was previously held by San Francisco 49ers DE Fred Dean, who set it with six sacks in 1983 against the New Orleans Saints. He held the record for seven seasons before Thomas put up one of the best performances by a defensive player in NFL history. Facing the Seattle Seahawks at Arrowhead Stadium in Week 10 of the 1990 NFL season, Thomas notched seven sacks on QB Dave Kreig, including four sacks in the second half of the game.
It was just Thomas’ second season as a professional and he was building upon a stellar rookie campaign. While the record stands to this day, it didn’t matter at the moment. Kreig escaped what would have been the eighth sack by Thomas and delivered a fourth-quarter strike to WR Paul Skansi with seconds remaining in the game. The Seahawks would win the game 17-16 over Kansas City, giving the Chiefs their fourth loss of the season.
“I thought I had him,” said Thomas, via the New York Times. “He just stumbled back and caught his balance and threw the pass. That last sack I didn’t get is the one I’m going to remember.”
On this date in 1990, the Chiefs’ Derrick Thomas sets an NFL record – one that still stands today – with 7 sacks in Kansas City’s 17-16 loss to Seahawks. pic.twitter.com/8GBG34xp1n
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 11, 2021
The Chiefs would go on to finish the season with an 11-5 record. Marty Schottenheimer’s team would make the wild-card round of the playoffs, but lose with a familiar 17-16 score against the Miami Dolphins. Thomas would go on to record a league-leading 20 sacks that season, earning a selection to the Pro Bowl and First-Team All-Pro honors.
Bringing the past to the present, Thomas actually faced off against current Chiefs OL coach Andy Heck, who played left tackle for the Seahawks from 1989-1991. While his team won the game, playing against Thomas is probably a memory he’d rather soon forget.
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