I remember watching an NFL game back in 2000 and I think it was one of the most thrilling experiences I’ve ever had. I could feel my heart racing as I watched the players scramble across the field and try to tackle the running back for the game winning drive. But, what intrigued me the most was the question that struck me midway, does NFL count a sack as a tackle for loss?
Well, I thought it was kind of obvious that a sack is a tackle for loss, since it is a play in which the defender uses all their strength and speed to bring down the opposition without being taken down. But then, I started thinking, what if it’s not always so? What if there are more nuances to the whole scenario? That’s why I decided to do some research and find out whether there’s a definitive answer to this question.
So basically, after some digging, I found out that yes, in the NFL, a sack is counted as a tackle for loss as long as the defender makes a play with the offensive player behind the line of scrimmage. This means that even though the quarterback might escape down the field with the ball, the sack would still count as a loss for them.
However, there’s also something else that applies in NFL. It’s called “clean-up tackle”. This is when the tackle happens after the quarterback manages to run past the line of scrimmage and pick up a few yards. So, while the quarterback is not considered “down” in the tackle, the play still counts as a tackle for loss. This is mainly because the quarterback was deprived of the opportunity to make a longer gain because of the tackle.
Furthermore, it also depends on the situation. If, for example, the quarterback is tackled just after tipping a pass, the tackle wouldn’t count as a loss even though the quarterback was taken down. That’s because the pass was still in the air and might have been intercepted if the tip hadn’t gone off. So, the play itself would’ve been a loss one way or another.
All these factors contribute to the answer to our initial question – does NFL count a sack as a tackle for loss? The short answer is, it depends. It depends on whether the tackle happened before or after the quarterback ran past the line of scrimmage, and it also depends on whether the quarterback was deprived of the opportunity to make a longer gain due to the tackle.
Having said that, I would like to add that it’s not only the whether the play is considered as a tackle for loss but also on the outcome of the entire play. For example, if the quarterback manages to escape the sack and still complete a long pass, the play wouldn’t be counted as a tackle for loss.
Alright, so far we know that the NFL does count a sack as a tackle for loss as long as the defender makes a play with the offensive player behind the line of scrimmage – but what about the other aspects of the game such as cornerback plays, fumble recoveries, and interceptions? Are these plays counted as tackle for loss as well?
Actually, the answer to this question is a little more complex. Cornerback plays would typically count as tackle for loss if the quarterback is unable to get off the pass or if the pass is deflected away. As for fumble recoveries, they do count as tackle for loss because the quarterback is deprived of the opportunity of keeping the possession of the ball. Lastly, interceptions usually count as tackle for loss unless the quarterback throws the ball and it’s tipped away by a defender before being intercepted.