Before the season started DeMarcus Ware and Von Miller talked about the desire to have more sacks combined than another team in the NFL.
It seemed a little optimistic at the time, after all Ware was coming off of an injury-plagued season where he recorded his lowest sack total of his career with 6 sacks, and he turned 32 before the season started. Meanwhile, Von Miller was coming off a disastrous season where he served a 6-game suspension and then blew out his ACL.
Not exactly a duo primed to combine for more sacks than an NFL team.
However, Ware and Von knew what they were capable of. They knew they weren’t just an ordinary pass-rushing duo.
Oct 12, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Denver Broncos defensive end DeMarcus Ware (94) sacks New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith (7) during the second half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
DeMarcus Ware is a guy who has had 20 sacks in a season, and 19.5 in another. Von Miller had 11.5 sacks as a rookie and then 18.5 in his second year. These aren’t ordinary players and they knew that.
DeMarcus Ware knew deep down that he had a lot left in the tank, and through7 games they are showing the league exactly how good they are.
The dynamic duo had a little bit of a slow start to the season, through 2 games Von had 1 sack and Ware had 1.5, good but not record setting.
However, the duo has been a house on fire since then. In the last 5 games they have 13.5 sacks combined and have been a complete nightmare for opposing offenses.
Through 7 games Von Miller is 2nd in the league in sacks with 9, while Ware is right on his tail with 7, which gives them a combined 16 sacks through 7 games.
As we stand today, that number is more than 15 teams in the league.
With 9 games remaining that total puts Von Miller on pace for about 20.5 sacks and DeMarcus Ware on pace for 16 sacks. That would leave them with 36.5 combined sacks.
Last year, the Jacksonville Jaguars and Chicago Bears tied for the league low with 31 sacks. Meanwhile this year the Rams are on a dismal pace and are currently getting less than 1 sack a game. Both Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware are sacking the QB at a higher rate than the entire Rams defense.
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If Ware and Von can keep up close to their current pace they will easily attain their goal of having more sacks combined than a team, and would likely have more sacks than several teams.
After a brief search, it looks like in 1989 Viking teammates Chris Doleman and Keith Millard set the record for most sacks by a duo with 39 combined sacks (please leave a comment if I missed another more productive duo). This means that if Von and Ware keep up their current pace they will have the 2nd most sacks by a duo in NFL history.
If they can speed up the pace just slightly, they have a good chance of besting that number and becoming the most productive pass-rushing duo in NFL history. I think they have what it takes and would be surprised if they don’t give it a run.