Kansas City Chiefs: Justin Houston on Pace for NFL's Single-Season Sack Record

Former New York Giants legend Michael Strahan may see his 13-year-old record of 22.5 sacks in a season come to an end this year, thanks to Kansas City Chiefs outside linebacker Justin Houston.

Coming off a three-sack game against the St. Louis Rams in Week 8, Houston climbed to the league lead with 10 sacks on the season through seven games so far in 2014. He needs just 1.5 more sacks to surpass his career high for sacks in a season. But he’s projected to do much more.

In addition to topping Strahan’s 22.5 sacks, Houston is expected to earn the team’s single-season sack record, held by Derrick Thomas with 20 in 1990.

For Houston, his career-high 11 sacks came last season, despite suffering an elbow injury that forced him to miss five games. If Houston stays healthy throughout the season, there is no doubt that he could earn 20-plus sacks and pose a threat to Strahan’s single-season record.

The question is will Houston shatter that record? If he continues his recent play, it is very likely that he not only takes the record, but adds on a couple more sacks to raise the bar even higher.

New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan announced that Mike Vick will start against the Chiefs in Week 9. If history repeats itself, Houston will inch even closer to the record.

When Vick and the Philadelphia Eagles faced Kansas City in Week 3 last year, Houston racked up 4.5 sacks, the most he has ever had in a single game. Given New York’s woes on offense, Houston should get through the Jets offensive line and drag down Vick multiple times.

The Chiefs will later face quarterbacks Ben Roethlisberger, Russell Wilson and Kyle Orton—quarterbacks who have had trouble avoiding pressure and have been sacked plenty of times—which bodes will for Houston and his chances of reaching the sack record.

Houston already has three multi-sack games this year before reaching the midway point of the season. In his last 18 games, Houston has collected 21 sacks. In Kansas City’s seven games this year, there is only one game in which Houston did not register a sack.

The most impressive part about Houston’s performance is that he is sharing the pass-rushing duties with outside linebacker Tamba Hali, a four-time Pro Bowler.

Houston, along with Hali and the rest of the front seven, has had a big role in helping Kansas City rank first in the league against the pass through eight weeks.

Whether Houston owns the sack record or not, he belongs in the conversation with Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt for the league’s Defensive Player of the Year award.

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