Dec. 13 (UPI) -- Seahawks star safety Jamal Adams broke the single-season sack record for a defensive back during his team's blowout win over the New York Jets on Sunday afternoon at Lumen Field in Seattle.
Adams recorded the historic sack midway through the second quarter when he forced Jets quarterback Sam Darnold to step out of bounds behind the line of scrimmage. With the sack, it brought his total to 8 1/2 in the 2020-21 season.
Arizona Cardinals safety Adrian Wilson previously held the record for defensive backs with eight sacks in the 2005 campaign. Wilson reached that total in 16 games, while Adams surpassed it in only his ninth game. Adams has missed four games this year because of a groin injury.
"It's a pretty cool feeling when you put your mind to something, because I told myself and I told everybody last year when I did fail with 6 1/2 sacks ... I told everybody I was going to break the record," Adams said after the Seahawks' 40-3 win. "Some people thought I was crazy, some people believed in me. But the only thing that mattered was that I believed in myself.
"... I'm trying to shatter it, to be honest with you. This is just the start."
The Seahawks acquired Adams from the Jets in a blockbuster trade this past off-season. The Pro Bowl safety said Friday that he didn't want to make Sunday's matchup about himself, but he noted it would be "sweet" to set the NFL record against his former club.
Adams, who now has 20 1/2 sacks in his career, finished with five tackles, one sack and a tackle for a loss against the Jets.
