Sacks can be devastating for NFL offenses. While perhaps not as costly as turnovers, sacks are often drive-killers that stop opposing offenses in their tracks. In addition, quarterbacks are at greater risk of injury on sacks, especially if they don’t see the hit coming. Which QBs took the most sacks in 2022?
Breaking Down the Top 10 Quarterbacks Who Were Sacked the Most Last NFL Season
10) Baker Mayfield, Carolina Panthers/Los Angeles Rams | 36 Sacks
Baker Mayfield is now competing for a starting job with the Buccaneers, but he began the 2022 campaign with the Panthers before being claimed off waivers by the Rams. Despite starting just 12 games and ranking 24th in pass attempts, Mayfield managed to absorb the 10th-most sacks in the NFL. His sack rate increased by more than three percentage points with Los Angeles, whose offensive line was decimated by injuries by the time Mayfield arrived.
T-7) Matt Ryan, Indianapolis Colts | 38 Sacks
Matt Ryan is open to continuing his NFL career, but for now, he’s taken a broadcasting job with CBS Sports. If 2022 was his final season in the league, he’ll close out his pro tenure having taken an ample amount of punishment.
Like Mayfield, Ryan only made 12 starts a year ago. But the Colts’ offensive line — once regarded as an elite unit — struggled, while Ryan has always been something of a statue in the pocket.
T-7) Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles | 38 Sacks
Although Jalen Hurts is among the most mobile quarterbacks in the NFL and plays behind arguably the league’s top offensive line, he still took 38 sacks in 2022. Hurts ranked 27th among 40 qualifying QBs in average time to throw (2.86 seconds), so it’s perhaps no surprise that he was taken down so many times. He missed two games with a shoulder injury last season, but that occurred on a run play, not a sack.
T-7) Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers | 38 Sacks
While Justin Herbert tied for seventh with 38 sacks in 2022, he also dropped back more than any quarterback not named Tom Brady. As such, his sack rate was actually eighth-best among qualifying signal-callers. Herbert may see even less pressure next season now that All-Pro left tackle Rashawn Slater is returning from injury.
6) Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals | 41 Sacks
Forty-one sacks represented an improvement for Joe Burrow, who took a league-leading 51 sacks in 2021. Burrow still needs to do a better job of getting rid of the ball, as he ranked sixth in sacks despite finishing with the NFL’s fourth-lowest pressure rate among qualifying quarterbacks. Adding new left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. to Cincinnati’s offensive line should help him become more well-protected.
5) Daniel Jones, New York Giants | 44 Sacks
Daniel Jones posted the most efficient season of his career in 2022, and his mobility was on full display as he rushed for more than 700 yards. He still took a decent amount of sacks, though, while being pressured at the fifth-highest rate (25.1%) in the NFL.
As Jones enters his second season in Brian Daboll and Mike Kafka’s system, he could potentially speed up his processing and take fewer hits in the pocket.
T-3) Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks | 46 Sacks
After not starting regularly since 2014, Geno Smith enjoyed a career year in 2022, winning the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year award while earning a Pro Bowl nod and finishing ninth in MVP voting.
He took a decent amount of sacks, but Seattle’s offensive line — which includes two developing tackles in Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas and a new center in Evan Brown — might hold up better next season.
T-3) Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings | 46 Sacks
Kirk Cousins took the most sacks of his career last season. He surpassed 40 sacks in his final year with the Commanders and his first campaign with the Vikings, but he averaged just 31 sacks in Minnesota from 2019-2021.
As detailed in Netflix’s Quarterback docuseries, Cousins suffered a ribs injury in Week 9, so every sack after that point was likely incredibly painful.
Which Quarterbacks Were Sacked the Most Last Year?
Chicago Bears QB Justin Fields and Denver Broncos QB Russell Wilson tied for the league lead with 55 sacks in 2022.
Fields consistently held onto the ball too long, ranking dead last in average time to throw (3.45 seconds). That’s part of his game, given that he can extend plays as well as any quarterback in the NFL. Fields will likely always take a significant number of sacks, but Chicago’s improved offensive line could help him take fewer hits next year.
Meanwhile, Wilson has always been among the league leaders in sacks. The only years in which he wasn’t sacked at least 40 times were 2013 (his rookie campaign) and 2021, when he only appeared in 14 games. Wilson also led the NFL in sacks in 2019 (48) and absorbed the most sack yardage (293) in 2016.
Which Position Sacks the QB Most?
Most sacks are generated by edge rushers, which can be either defensive ends or outside linebackers, depending on how the defense organizes their front.
Nick Bosa, Myles Garrett, Haason Reddick, and Matt Judon were the NFL’s top four sack producers, and all four play on the edge. Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones (fifth) and former Cardinal J.J. Watt (10th) were the only interior players to rank among the top 10 in sacks. Expand the selection to the top 25 sack leaders, and only five DTs are included.
In 2018, a PFF study found that pressure and sacks from the edge are more valuable than those that originate on the interior. Edge rushers can often add more expected points with their sacks because they often lead to more turnovers via strip sacks.