It’s Week 16 of the 2024 NFL season, which means it’s time to start planning which of our friends will host the Christmas Day NFL games.
Of course, we’ll still kick off the holiday by enjoying the morning with our family and loved ones.
Christmas also marks the arrival of the NFL playoff push. While the Dallas Cowboys are out of contention this season, it’ll still be exciting to root for the underdogs and hope the Philadelphia Eagles make an early exit.
As the regular season winds down, it’s the perfect time to keep a close eye on the stats and watch for potential record-breaking performances, both single-season and all-time.
Dallas Cowboys DE Micah Parsons is among those chasing history, as he’s closing in on elite company in the NFL record books.
With 1.5 sacks needed and three games remaining, Parsons has the chance to become just the fifth player in NFL history to record double-digit sacks in each of his first four seasons.
The four players to achieve this before him — Claude Humphrey, Reggie White, Derrick Thomas, and Dwight Freeney — are all enshrined in Canton, Ohio.
How Does Micah Compare?
Parsons burst onto the scene in 2021 after injuries along the defensive line forced him to play defensive end.
He recorded 13.0 sacks as a rookie, earning several accolades: AP 1st Team All-Pro, Pro Bowl honors, AP Defensive Rookie of the Year, and second place in AP Defensive Player of the Year voting behind T.J. Watt.
Reggie White, the next player to hit double-digit sacks in his first four seasons, tallied a staggering 70.0 sacks from 1985 to 1988 with the Philadelphia Eagles.
In 1987, he won AP Defensive Player of the Year after leading the league with 21.0 sacks.
White earned AP All-Pro honors every year except his rookie season and final season, ultimately retiring with 198.0 sacks and 12 double-digit sack seasons.
Derrick Thomas was the third player to reach double-digit sacks in his first four years, racking up 58.0 sacks for the Kansas City Chiefs from 1989 to 1992.
His standout season came in year two when he posted 20.0 sacks and earned AP 1st Team All-Pro honors. Thomas’ career was tragically cut short after injuries from a 1999 car accident, leaving him with 126.5 sacks over 11 seasons.
Dwight Freeney was the most recent player to accomplish the feat, starting his career with 13.0 sacks, just like Parsons.
Freeney’s best season during the run was year three, where he notched 16.0 sacks. Over his first four seasons, he totaled 51.0 sacks before finishing his 16-year career with 125.5 sacks.