If you spent any time watching the AFC North in 2024, you probably saw a lot of quarterbacks hitting the turf. Hard. It was a weird year for the pass rush, honestly. We saw established legends like T.J. Watt deal with late-season nagging injuries that cooled off their hot starts, while others just... well, they didn't stop.
The battle for the top spot among the NFL 2024 sack leaders wasn't just about raw talent; it was a war of attrition. While the "stats nerds" love to talk about pressure rates and win percentages, at the end of the day, only the guy holding the quarterback's jersey counts for the record books.
The One Nobody Could Catch: Trey Hendrickson
Trey Hendrickson is kinda the quietest superstar in the league. He doesn't have the "aura" of a Micah Parsons or the defensive-tackle-sized frame of a Myles Garrett, but the man is a technician. In 2024, he didn't just lead the league; he dominated it from start to finish.
Hendrickson finished the 2024 regular season with 17.5 sacks. What’s wild is how consistent he was. He had a four-sack game against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 9 that basically put the league on notice. Then, just to put a bow on his season, he dropped 3.5 sacks on the Steelers in the season finale.
2024 Regular Season Leaderboard:
- Trey Hendrickson (CIN): 17.5 Sacks
- Myles Garrett (CLE): 14.0 Sacks
- Nik Bonitto (DEN): 13.5 Sacks
- Kyle Van Noy (BAL): 12.5 Sacks
- Danielle Hunter (HOU): 12.0 Sacks
- Micah Parsons (DAL): 12.0 Sacks
- Jonathan Greenard (MIN): 12.0 Sacks
People kept waiting for Hendrickson to regress because his "underlying metrics" suggested he was getting "lucky" sacks. Basically, they thought he was just cleaning up after other people. But in 2024, he upped his quarterback hits to 36. That’s not luck. That’s a nightmare for offensive tackles.
🔗 Read more: Men's Sophie Cunningham Jersey: Why This Specific Kit is Selling Out Everywhere
The Mid-Season Shift: Why T.J. Watt "Disappeared"
If you looked at the leaderboard in October, you’d have bet your house on T.J. Watt. He’s the only player in history to lead the league in sacks three different times.
But football is brutal.
Watt suffered a rolled ankle late in the season that clearly zapped his explosiveness. There’s a stat floating around that he had 0 sacks and 0 tackles in his final 127 snaps of the 2024 season. That’s unheard of for him. He finished with 11.5 sacks, which is a "down year" for a guy like Watt, even though it’s a career year for most other humans.
The Breakout: Nik Bonitto and the Denver Defense
Nobody had Nik Bonitto on their bingo card for the top three.
He was a second-round pick back in 2022 and had a respectable eight sacks in 2023. But in 2024, he turned into a legitimate problem for the AFC West. He finished with 13.5 sacks. He’s not a massive guy, but his bend around the edge is elite. Denver’s defense was surprisingly stout in 2024, and Bonitto was the primary reason why teams couldn't just sit back and pick apart their secondary.
💡 You might also like: Why Netball Girls Sri Lanka Are Quietly Dominating Asian Sports
The Veteran Surge: Kyle Van Noy and Danielle Hunter
It’s actually kinda crazy that Kyle Van Noy had his best season at 33 years old. He hit double-digit sacks for the first time in his 11-year career, finishing with 12.5. It shows that sometimes, scheme matters more than raw athleticism. Baltimore used him perfectly as a chess piece.
Then you have Danielle Hunter.
Moving from Minnesota to Houston was a huge story in the offseason. Most people thought his numbers would dip without the specific Vikings system he knew so well. Instead, he teamed up with Will Anderson Jr. and terrorized the AFC South. Hunter notched 12.0 sacks, clinching his third straight season with double digits. He’s quietly building a Hall of Fame resume.
Why Sacks Don't Tell the Whole Story
We have to acknowledge the elephant in the room: Myles Garrett.
Garrett finished with 14.0 sacks, which is great, but it doesn't reflect the fact that he was the most double-teamed player in the league. If you're an offensive coordinator, you're literally building your entire game plan around not letting #95 kill your quarterback.
📖 Related: Why Cumberland Valley Boys Basketball Dominates the Mid-Penn (and What’s Next)
Conversely, look at Micah Parsons. He also had 12.0 sacks, but he leads the league in "almost" sacks—pressures that force a quick throw or a scramble. In 2024, the gap between a sack and a "pressure" was often just a half-second of coverage by a cornerback.
The Reality of the 2024 Pass Rush
The NFL is changing. We’re seeing more "simulated pressures" where teams only rush four guys but they come from weird angles. This is why guys like Jonathan Greenard (12.0 sacks) succeeded in Minnesota. Brian Flores’ defense is basically a math problem that quarterbacks usually fail.
Actionable Insights for the 2025 Season
If you’re looking at these numbers to figure out who to watch (or draft in fantasy) for next year, here’s the deal:
- Regression is real: Watch out for Kyle Van Noy. At 33, repeating a career-high 12.5 sacks is a tall order. He’s a "sell high" candidate in IDP leagues.
- The T.J. Watt Bounce Back: If he stays healthy, Watt is almost guaranteed to hit 15+ sacks. 2024 was an injury anomaly, not a decline in skill.
- Bet on Continuity: Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. in Houston are only going to get better as they learn each other's tendencies. That duo is the best 1-2 punch in the league right now.
- The Contract Year Factor: Trey Hendrickson’s 2024 was a statement. He wanted a new contract, and he played like a man possessed to get it. Always keep an eye on elite rushers in the final year of their deal.
Keep an eye on the injury reports and the offensive line rankings of the teams these guys are facing. A great pass rusher against a backup left tackle is the easiest way to stack up three sacks in a single Sunday afternoon.