These Frank Clark career stats I’m about to share almost feels like blasphemy…
Frank Clark continues to surprise a lot of Chiefs fans when they take a closer look at what he is doing on the field… I know I was surprised by this…Alright, here it is: Frank Clark is now the Kansas City Chiefs’ new postseason sack leader.
If you’re a member of Chiefs Kingdom, you are probably yelling “No way! What about Derrick Thomas?!”
Yes, we love Derrick. He will always be a great pass rusher in our eyes–because he truly was an awesome pass rusher who made a ton of sacks.
Derrick Thomas was a Chief for 11 seasons. He played in 10 postseason games for the franchise. Surely he is the all-time leader in postseason sacks, right?
Nope.
I was shocked when I learned Frank Clark is now the franchise record-holder for postseason sacks.
Frank Clark is quietly rewriting the Chiefs sack records–two of the biggest records, in fact, have already been broken by Frank:
1: KC Chiefs Most Sacks in a Postseason Game – Clark set that record last season in the playoff game against the Houston Texans (Jan. 12, 2020). Clark made 3 sacks in that game, which is a franchise record.
Derrick Thomas’s best sack numbers in a single postseason game were 2 sacks against the Houston Oilers on January 16, 1994.
2. KC Chiefs Most Sacks in Postseason History – This is the most shocking record: Frank Clark last week against the Buffalo Bills surpassed Derick’s all-time franchise record. Clark now has 7 total postseason sacks. The new franchise record.
Derrick Thomas had 6.5 sacks in 10 postseason games for his career.
Wow.
Now that the Frank Clark Career Stats Broke Two Postseason Sack Records (Formerly Held by Derrick Thomas), How Should Fans Respond?
What Frank Clark has accomplished and is still achieving doesn’t take away anything that Derrick Thomas accomplished in his career nor does it take away any of the impacts Thomas made on the franchise.
DT will always have a special place in the hearts of Chiefs fans. He will always be known for his pass-rushing skills, nothing can take away from what he did during the 1990s.
For example…
Thomas still holds the single-game NFL record for sacks at 7, which nobody has touched since Nov. 11, 1990. Pretty astounding.
Thomas also had a six-sack game against the Raiders on September 6, 1998. That six sack game is tied for second all-time in the NFL for a single game. Thomas is currently tied for second in single-game sacks with three other NFL players: Osi Umenyiora, Adrian Clayborn, and Fred Dean.
Derrick’s Mic-Drop Sack Record: Of course, Derrick Thomas is the undisputed top dog for all-time sack totals in Chiefs history with 126.5 sacks. No current player is close to that number.
Right now, Chris Jones is the closest–already ranked 8th in franchise history, Jones has 40.5 sacks. He’s a long way away from 126.5, but if he can keep playing with the Chiefs for another 8 or more years, who knows…
Frank Clark currently ranks on the Chiefs franchise list for most sacks at #21 with 14. (Postseason sacks are not counted together with regular-season sacks.)
As we can see, the postseason has been where Frank Clark shines since arriving in Kansas City.
Chiefs Fans Should Celebrate Frank Clark
Clark was an absolute beast in the playoff game against the Houston Texans, sacking DeShaun Watson 3 times, and getting a bunch of pressures and hits on him as well. His performance played a part in the Chiefs’ ability to come back from a 24 point deficit to win and go on to a Super Bowl victory.
It seems like Clark should be getting more props from Kansas City. Sometimes, fans’ expectations can get a little unrealistic, and I think maybe that’s going on with Frank Clark right now. Since he had “only” six sacks in 2020, some fans don’t think he had a “good” year.
This same attitude occurred in 2019 when Clark came in highly touted and made eight sacks during the regular season.
For the Chiefs Kingdom to fully appreciate what they have in Frank Clark, we need to remember how well he plays in the postseasons.
Clark is a “big-gamer.” He can turn it on when the lights are bright, and that might be his best quality.
When the Chiefs enter the playoffs, and they are suddenly playing the best teams in the conference, his ability to rise to the occasion and play like a superstar in the biggest games of the year is why I’m totally cool with his contract. Frank Clark has been worth every dime the Chiefs have spent to have him on the field and in the locker room.
Clark brought an attitude to the Chiefs defense that was badly needed. He has been a fantastic addition to the team.
Will he surpass Derrick Thomas’s franchise sack record? Probably not. Counting his years in Seattle, Clark has 49 sacks at this moment, and is not on pace to surpass Thomas’s 126.5 sacsk in 11 seasons.
But that doesn’t mean Frank Clark isn’t awesome.
We know he sets personal goals, and he is capable of breaking the single-season sack record if he stays healthy an entire season.
All these Frank Clark career stats–not only sacks but also the pressures, tackles, and others, will continue to rise as he continues to play in Kansas City.
Let’s enjoy Frank Clark, Chiefs Kingdom. We get to watch him play at Arrowhead for at least another two seasons.
You watch: Frank Clark is going to leave an impressive Chiefs Legacy that fans will appreciate years from now.
