The Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers protect their quarterbacks better than anyone in the NFL. After Week 6, Dallas has allowed seven sacks on 253 dropbacks and San Francisco five on 176, a rate of 2.8% for both. The league average is 6.4%: 428 sacks on 6,690 dropbacks.
Dallas edged ahead with the best protection of the week in a game it lost. Dak Prescott dropped back 55 times in the 23–13 defeat at Green Bay on Sunday night and was sacked once, for 3 yards. The Cowboys’ rate fell to 2.77%, just below San Francisco’s 2.84%.
Brock Purdy was sacked twice for 15 yards on Monday night while completing 21 of 29 passes for 264 yards in the 23–17 win over Washington. Washington’s Jayden Daniels was taken down four times for 39 yards.
Monday night done right 🎆 @NetApp | #FTTB pic.twitter.com/P2ML94L568
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) October 21, 2026
Fewest sacks per dropback after Week 6
| Rank | Team | Sacks allowed | Dropbacks | Sack rate | Week 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dallas | 7 | 253 | 2.8% | 1 in 55 |
| 2 | San Francisco | 5 | 176 | 2.8% | 2 in 31 |
| 3 | Las Vegas | 8 | 229 | 3.5% | 0 in 41 |
| 4 | Kansas City | 6 | 164 | 3.7% | 0 in 30 |
| 5 | LA Rams | 10 | 262 | 3.8% | — |
| 6 | Denver | 8 | 197 | 4.1% | — |
| 7 | Cincinnati | 9 | 198 | 4.5% | bye |
| 8 | Arizona | 12 | 247 | 4.9% | — |
Sack rate divides the sacks a team has allowed by its dropbacks, counted here as pass attempts plus sacks. It is fairer than a raw sack count because teams throw very different amounts. A sack is not only on the offensive line: how long the quarterback holds the ball, the play calls and the score all move the number.
Las Vegas and Kansas City kept their quarterbacks clean in Week 6. The Raiders allowed no sacks on 41 attempts in their 33–30 loss to Buffalo, and Patrick Mahomes threw 30 passes without being dropped in the Chiefs’ 22–6 win over the Chargers.
Protection alone does not make an offense. Denver ranks sixth at 4.1% yet gains only 4.40 yards per play, 31st in the league, and Dallas is 2–4.
The bottom six
| Rank | Team | Sacks allowed | Dropbacks | Sack rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | Minnesota | 15 | 155 | 9.7% |
| 28 | NY Jets | 19 | 196 | 9.7% |
| 29 | Miami | 14 | 144 | 9.7% |
| 30 | Tampa Bay | 22 | 216 | 10.2% |
| 31 | LA Chargers | 21 | 202 | 10.4% |
| 32 | Cleveland | 24 | 199 | 12.1% |
Cleveland has allowed 24 sacks, the most in the league, and one in every eight dropbacks ends in one. Deshaun Watson was sacked five times for 20 yards against Baltimore, though the Browns still won 13–10 on a field goal as time expired to reach 4–2.
The winless Chargers are next at 10.4%. Justin Herbert was sacked four times for 18 yards at Kansas City, bringing Los Angeles to 21. Tampa Bay (10.2%) has allowed 22, and Minnesota, the Jets and Miami are all at 9.7%.
Chicago and New England opened Week 7 on Thursday, so their numbers above are through Week 6. The Bears allowed three sacks on Thursday night and the Patriots two. Full team rankings are on our team stats page.
What comes next
San Francisco plays at Atlanta on Sunday, October 25, at 1 p.m. EDT, and Cleveland visits Tennessee at the same time. Dallas plays at Philadelphia on Monday, October 26, at 8:15 p.m. The Chargers return on Sunday, November 1, against the Rams.
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