What happened: Will Anderson Jr. holds the NFL lead with 9.5 sacks on the season, according to tracking released by Pro Football Focus. Greg Rousseau and Chase Young rank second with 8.0 sacks apiece. T.J. Watt, Carl Granderson, David Bailey, and Elijah Ponder are deadlocked in fourth place with 7.5 sacks.
Why it matters: Anderson continues to pace the league after previously topping the PFF sack leaderboard at 7.5 ahead of Rousseau. The tight grouping at the top leaves six pass-rushers within two sacks of the lead entering the second half of the 2026 campaign.
By the numbers: Young has 8 sacks and 18 tackles in 2026 through 8 games. Bailey has totaled 7.5 sacks and 44 tackles in 2026 through 8 games, while Granderson has 7.5 sacks and 32 tackles in 2026 through 7 games.
What to watch: The edge rushers will look to separate in the sack race as regular-season action resumes in Week 10.