I learned that if two players sack cooperatively, each defender gets 0.5 sacks in their statistics.
Then what happens if three players make a sack together? Is it 0.333 sacks, or still 0.5 sacks?
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1 Answer
In the NFL when multiple players sack the QB, they're all awarded a half a sack, regardless of how many players have been involved.
Here's explanation on Wikipedia
A player will receive credit for half of a sack when multiple players contribute to the sacking of a quarterback, even if more than two players contributed.
Note that a sack is not a rule. Rather a term for when a QB is taken down behind the line of scrimmage. So since it's a statistical term, you won't find an answer in usual sources like the NFL rules handbook.
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1The NFL Guide for Statisticans does exist though... but is unfortunately silent on this subject.– Philip Kendall ♦Mar 3 at 18:41
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2It mentions the two-defender case specifically, but not three or more (though even for two defenders, it only says the sack is divided equally, not that each defender gets half a sack). I'd say the Wikipedia page needs a [citation needed] flag on the claim that more than 2 defenders can be credited with half a sack.– chepnerMar 3 at 21:26
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Agreed wikipedia def needs citation, I was hoping to use one of the citations already on that page. The ones I checked were deadends. That being said, as an NFL fan I know that's the right answer. I tried to find a reputable source that explicitly mentions the scenario with more than 2 defenders, but didn't find anything.– alamootMar 3 at 23:46
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Maybe someone can find an example of a games's box score where the total number of sacks by the defense is a half-integer.– Philip Kendall ♦Mar 4 at 8:31