Led by linebacker Dee Ford's 10-sack breakout season, the Kansas City Chiefs had 27.0 sacks in 2016. By season's end, 11 different Chiefs recorded at least one sack.
Here are their top five sacks of the season:
No. 5: Chris Jones Dabs on Cam Newton
With season-ending injuries to starting defensive linemen Allen Bailey and Jaye Howard during 2016, rookie Chris Jones was called upon to eat up many of the leftover snaps, and he made his presence felt with pressures throughout the year.
Jones finished with 2.0 sacks—his first came against Andrew Luck in Indianapolis, and this was two weeks later in Carolina. With the score 17-3 Panthers, this sack proved to be even more meaningful later because it knocked the Panthers out of field goal range in a game with a 20-17 final in favor of Kansas City.
Jones later received a painting of the post-sack celebration from one of his biggest fans:
No. 4: Ford Breaks Through for 3.5
No. 4 is the first of three Ford plays on this list, and it's well deserved. After some struggles in his first two seasons, Ford had a great first half of 2016 when it came to pressuring the quarterback, and the Chiefs' Week 8 game against the Colts in Indianapolis marked a career single-game high.
Ford registered 3.5 sacks against Luck, at the time doubling his total at seven sacks on the season.
No. 3: Ford Sends the Game into OT
When a team rallies back from 21 points down to set the record for the greatest comeback in franchise history, you're going to need the defense to put up some zeroes as well.
After the Chiefs tied the Week 1 game against the San Diego Chargers late in the fourth quarter, they needed to keep them out of field goal range.
With the Chargers at their own 37 with a fresh set of downs, Ford came around the edge to sack Philip Rivers for 10 yards, effectively ending their chance at a game-winning field goal.
No. 2: Strip Sack and Hali
No. 2 is more Ford.
Don't forget this—back in Week 6, the Oakland Raiders were 4-1 and seemingly running over every team in their path.
With the Chiefs up 26-10 midway through the fourth quarter, Derek Carr had the Raiders at the Kansas City 21-yard line and threatening. A Ford strip-sack changed that, as Ford's mentor, Tamba Hali jumped on the football.
The score never changed as the Chiefs wrapped up their third win.
No. 1: The Nine-Point Swing
As the second quarter was coming to a close on Sunday Night Football in Denver Week 12, there was no score. That was until this play.
Linebacker Justin Houston, in his second game back from injury, had his best game of the season, highlighted by this sack.
Houston broke through the middle of the offensive line on a stunt, and he sacked Trevor Siemian for a fumble and eventual safety. This gave the Chiefs a 2-0 lead, and the next play would be a Tyreek Hill return for a touchdown, a nine-point swing on a night they would need all the points—a 30-27 win in overtime.
