Julius Peppers Records 10th Season with at Least 10 Sacks

Carolina Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers picked up a half sack in Sunday's 31-24 win against the Green Bay Packers. After Sunday's game, Peppers now has 10 sacks for the season, marking the 10th time in his career that he has logged at least that many, per NFL.com.

Peppers is just the fourth player in NFL history to have at least 10 seasons with 10 or more sacks. He joins Hall of Famers Bruce Smith (13 seasons), Reggie White (12 seasons) and Kevin Greene (12 seasons) in that club.

Peppers, who turns 38 in January, had surpassed the 10-sack mark just once over the last four seasons. However, a return to his roots in Carolina for the 2017 campaign appears to have drawn a resurgence from the veteran.

Peppers played the first eight of his 16-season career as a member of the Panthers. Over those eight campaigns, he logged more than 10 sacks on six occasions. After spending some time with the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers, Peppers has returned to Charlotte and remains a solid contributor to a tough Panthers defense. 

Carolina ranks sixth in terms of yards allowed per game with 307.9, also ranking fifth against the run (91.6 yards per game). The team has also been effective at keeping opponents out of the end zone, allowing just 20.4 points per game to sit 11th in the league.

The Panthers enter Week 17 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the midst of a heated battle for the NFC South title and a playoff spot. With a win, the club would lock down a spot in the postseason, per the team's official website. However, the Saints own the tiebreaker, meaning the Panthers would need some help to take home the division title.