Chicago Bears DE Robert Quinn breaks Richard Dent's franchise single-season sack record

CHICAGO -- Bears defensive end Robert Quinn set a franchise single-season sack record Sunday with his 18th takedown after he tackled New York Giants quarterback Mike Glennon in the fourth quarter of Chicago's 29-3 win.

"It's an honor," the soft-spoken Quinn said after the game. "At the end of the day, I'm just doing my job."

Quinn, 31, got close several times in the game before eventually beating left tackle Andrew Thomas for the strip sack (though the ball was recovered by the Giants). The sequence came about midway through the fourth.

"People [my teammates] didn't let me forget about it all day," Quinn said. "I just tried to brush it off and play football."

Quinn broke former Super Bowl MVP Richard Dent's mark of 17.5 sacks set in 1984. He began the season with 5.5 sacks in his first seven games played and then went on a tear, recording at least one sack in his past eight games, including Sunday.

His best day came in late November when he recorded 3.5 sacks against the Baltimore Ravens.

Quinn spoke to Dent on Saturday, and the two joked about Dent earning his 17.5 sacks in a 16-game season. The NFL added another game this season but Quinn was able to break the record in the Bears' 16th game -- not needing No. 17 next week.

"If it took 17 games, he would have called me and made sure I knew what the heck was going on," Quinn said with a smile. "It was quite funny. He said he had 17.5 and only started 10 games. He let me know the company I was in."

With the Bears comfortably in front of the Giants on Sunday, coach Matt Nagy called a timeout after the sack to let fans and players acknowledge the moment.

"It just pays respect from all of us, as coaches and players to him, how much we appreciate him," Nagy said. "It's important for young players on this team to see somebody at his age practice the way he practices."

Quinn was a first-round pick of the then-St. Louis Rams in 2011. He recorded 19 sacks for them in the 2013 season. He signed a five-year, $70 million deal with the Bears before the 2020 season. He had just two sacks in his first season with the Bears but turned it around in 2021.

"I had that one good jump and I knew I had the corner," Quinn said of his record-breaking sack against the Giants. "The quarterback was still there, and I was able to make history."