Image via Complex Original
In professional sports, it would be hard to find a moment of pure, unadulterated joy quite like the moment after sacking the quarterback. Defensive players don’t get nearly as much of the glory as their offensive counterparts, and bringing down the opposing QB is one of the few moments in a game where one defender shines apart from everyone else on the field. While some pass rushers take all this in stride and don’t react especially strongly to making a big play, a post-sack celebration has become a time-honored tradition in recent years.
The NFL is full of talented pass rushers who also commit great energy and focus into their celebrations. When you get to the quarterback as much as someone like J.J. Watt or Von Miller, you’re going to have some room to express your creativity out on the field.
Whether it’s going with a modern dance move like the Nae Nae or going retro for the Pee Wee Herman dance, NFL defenders have made the sack dance an event in and of itself. Given the sheer volume of dances that take place in the league today, here are the 25 Best NFL Sack Celebrations in Recent History, in GIFs.
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J.J. Watt's Discount Double-Check
Date: 10/14/2012
Matchup: Houston Texans vs. Green Bay Packers
Quarterback: Aaron Rodgers
2012 Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt doesn't give fuck about Aaron Rodgers, his discount double-checks, or his championship belts. Unfortunately for Watt, Green Bay would have the last laugh in this game, as they went on to defeat the Texans 42-24. Oh, and by the way, Rodgers played a pretty big part in that victory, shredding Houston for 338 yards and 6 TDs. Taunting him may not have been the greatest idea.
Domata Peko's Gangam Style
Date: 10/1/2012
Matchup: Cincinnati Bengals vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Quarterback: Blaine Gabbert
Just as the “Gangnam Style” wave was reaching its apex, Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Domata Peko threw his hat into the ring, giving Cincinnati fans a brief and stirring rendition of the dance after taking down Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blaine Gabbert during a 2012 showdown between the two teams. Out of every horrible moment in Gabbert's career thus far, having a 322 pound lineman celebrate your demise by breaking out an annoying cultural meme has to be one of the worst. Now struggling as a back-up quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, it's safe to say that things haven't gotten much better for Gabbert either.
Von Miller Knocks Knees
Date: 9/9/2012
Matchup: Denver Broncos vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Quarterback: Ben Roethlisberger
Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller had a day against Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers to start off the 2012 season. Hauling the Steelers QB down twice, Miller made sure to celebrate accordingly with his own, jelly-legged version of the Charleston. Meanwhile, Peyton Manning was busy showing Roethlisberger how it was done, leading Denver to a 31-19 victory in his Mile High debut.
Von Miller's Nae Nae
Date: 9/17/2012
Matchup: Atlanta Falcons vs. Denver Broncos
Quarterback: Matt Ryan
Just a week after Von Miller got all wobbly-kneed against Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Broncos' defensive machine hit the Nae Nae over Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football—the only sack Denver would get during their 21-27 loss. Despite taking the L, we still think Miller's Nae Nae was better than most athlete renditions we've seen. Sorry, Dwight Howard.
Jared Odrick's Pee Wee Herman Dance
Date: 9/23/2012
Matchup: Miami Dolphins vs. New York Jets
Quarterback: Mark Sanchez
Jared Odrick's use of the Pee Wee Herman Dance when taking down former Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez was certainly unprecedented in the NFL. Pee Wee himself was so impressed that he had to give Odrick a shout-out on Twitter in order to show the proper love.
@JaredOdrick98 I like your style, Odrick! Smooth moves! #MNF #NFL #peewee #sackdance
— Pee-wee Herman (@peeweeherman) October 1, 2013
Barry Cofield Gets Tazed
Date: 9/11/2011
Matchup: Washington Redskins vs. New York Giants
Quarterback: Eli Manning
Defecting from the New York Giants to the Washington Redskins, defensive lineman Barry Cofield made sure to bring his patented sack dance with him. Registering his first takedown as a Washington Redskin against Eli Manning and the Giants, Cofield took the opportunity to make sure his old team knew what they were missing out on. It didn't hurt that Washington ended up winning the game either.
Von Miller's Superman
Date: 11/11/2012
Matchup: Carolina Panthers vs. Denver Broncos
Quarterback: Cam Newton
Prior to the Denver Broncos' 2012 game against the Carolina Panthers, Von Miller promised the public that he would replicate Cam Newton's trademark “Superman” celebration if he was able to take the Panthers QB down. Miller was able to back up his talk and, thankfully, didn't back down on the celebration when the opportunity arose to make good on his word. Miller and his teammates terrorized Newton all day, sacking him seven times and picking him off twice as the Broncos won big over Carolina.
Michael Bennett's “Ravishing” Rick Rude Hip Wiggle
Date: 12/15/2013
Matchup: Seattle Seahawks vs. New York Giants
Quarterback: Eli Manning
Michael Bennett is too sexy for your quarterback. Michael Bennett is too sexy for the NFL. Michael Bennett is too sexy for football. Is Michael Bennett too sexy for your cat? Reports remain unconfirmed, but we'll stake a guess that Michael Bennett is probably too sexy for anything and everything in the universe.
J.J. Watt Goes Surfing
Date: 1/26/2014
Matchup: Team Sanders vs. Team Rice
Quarterback: Alex Smith
Showing up big for Team Sanders during the 2013 Pro Bowl, J.J. Watt broke out the board to hit a big wave after he laid a big hit on opposing quarterback Alex Smith. When in Hawaii, do as the Hawaiians do. Hang ten, bro.
Michael Sam's “Money” Dance
Date: 8/23/2014
Matchup: St. Louis Rams vs. Cleveland Browns
Quarterback: Johnny Manziel
We're rooting for him, but even if Michael Sam never makes it to a professional roster as a regular player, he'll always have the memory of whipping out the “Money Fingers” against Johnny Manziel. Regardless of whether Manziel ends up becoming a superstar QB, a highlight like that is priceless.
Sean Weatherspoon's Om Nom Nom
Date: 9/17/2012
Matchup: Atlanta Falcons vs. Denver Broncos
Quarterback: Peyton Manning
Like an action hero armed with nothing but silverware, Atlanta Falcons linebacker Sean Weatherspoon grabs two imaginary spoons and starts going to town on his invisible meal to celebrate his sack of future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning. He was like a Pac-Man who just eaten a Power Pellet, and Manning was nothing but a blue ghost. It was never going to end well for Peyton.
Brandon Mebane's Truffle Shuffle
Date: 11/16/2013
Matchup: Seattle Seahawks vs. Minnesota Vikings
Quarterback: Christian Ponder
We don't really know what's more disturbing: the actual wiggle Seattle's Brandon Mebane lets his stomach take after sacking Vikings QB Christian Ponder or the fact that the camera zoomed in upon it so lovingly. Either way, this is high on our list of things that we didn't need to see today.
Chandler Jones' Little Shimmy
Date: 9/12/2013
Matchup: New England Patriots vs. New York Jets
Quarterback: Geno Smith
Given the day the New England Patriots defense had against the New York Jets on this particular game (New York's hapless offense would be held to just 10 points), Chandler Jones had every right to celebrate when he took then-rookie QB Geno Smith down to the turf. The shimmy was nothing flashy, but what else can you expect from a team coached by Bill Belichick?
Willie Young Reels in a Big One
Date: 9/14/2014
Matchup: Chicago Bears vs. San Francisco 49ers
Quarterback: Colin Kaepernick
This past weekend, in the Chicago Bears' comeback victory against the San Francisco 49ers, Willie Young was able to break through San Francisco's offensive line on multiple occasions to pressure and/or sack Colin Kaepernick. The result wasn't pretty for Kaepernick, as he was pressured into throwing three interceptions. Meanwhile, Young looked like he was having the time of his life.
Brian Robison Goes Fishing
Date: 11/3/2013
Matchup: Minnesota Vikings vs. Dallas Cowboys
Quarterback: Tony Romo
Who netted the bigger catch: Brian Robison or Willie Young? It's hard to say, but we may have to side with Young here. Robison certainly puts up a fight, and makes it appear like he's struggling with a marlin or tuna fish, but he holds the payoff up like it's a smallmouth bass. Next time, do a better job of selling us on the catch, Brian. We want a trophy fish.
Jo-Lonn Dunbar's Throwback Beach Dance
Date: 10/4/2012
Matchup: St. Louis Rams vs. Arizona Cardinals
Quarterback: Kevin Kolb
It appears that, at some point, Jo-Lonn Dunbar and his teammate Chris Long entered a competition to see who could come up with the best sack dance. We'll give the edge to Dunbar in this contest. The scuba move is a classic.
Chris Long Tries Out His Salsa Moves
Date: 10/4/2012
Matchup: St. Louis Rams vs. Arizona Cardinals
Quarterback: Kevin Kolb
St. Louis Rams defensive lineman Chris Long is a solid player in the NFL, coming straight from a Hall of Fame lineage under his father, Howie. Long has yet to make a Pro Bowl, but with strong years in 2011 and 2012, it's become easier to envision a future in which Long truly breaks out for a big season. However, as you can see from the GIF above, Long is not a player who you can expect to see on Dancing With the Stars anytime soon.
Muhammad Wilkerson Wants to Go to the Pro Bowl
Date: 11/3/2013
Matchup: New York Jets vs. New Orleans Saints
Quarterback: Drew Brees
When November rolls around, big players in the NFL may start promoting themselves a bit in order to boost their Pro Bowl campaigns. Some of this self-promotion is subtle, some of it not so much, but we actually like the tactic New York Jets defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson used when he was trying to boost his public profile last season. It's hard to understand when you first see it, but Wilkerson is doing a small hula dance to let everyone know where he wants to spend the first part of his offseason: Hawaii. Unfortunately, Wilkerson was left off the team in 2013, although he would garner a second-team All-Pro selection.
Aldon Smith Says “It's a Walkoff”
Date: 12/4/2011
Matchup: San Francisco 49ers vs. St. Louis Rams
Quarterback: A.J. Feeley
After a bogus bomb threat and a mess of drugs and weapons charges over the offseason, Aldon Smith will not be lighting up the San Francisco statline for the first nine games of the 2014-15 NFL season. However, if there's anything we know about the NFL, it's that the fanbase loves to enter a sort of collective amnesia every Sunday. As long as Smith can give us more highlight material like this, then you can be sure that the league and its fans will welcome him back with open arms.
Corey Wootton Does the Robot
Date: 11/4/2013
Matchup: Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers
Quarterback: Seneca Wallace
We had no idea that Corey Wootton once served as a bit character in Chappelle's Show. He is clearly a Renaissance man. And also a robot.
Clay Matthews Gets a Little Too Graphic
Date: 12/16/2012
Matchup: Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears
Quarterback: Jay Cutler
Clay Matthews was obviously feeling good after taking down Jay Cutler. But how could one have known that he was going to feel this good? Getting a sack is awesome, sure, but this sort of reaction might be a little too over the top.
Ricky Jean-Francois Doesn't See the Scoreboard, Clearly
Date: 11/24/2013
Matchup: Indianapolis Colts vs. Arizona Cardinals
Quarterback: Carson Palmer
A sack is a sack, right? Ricky Jean-Francois obviously doesn’t care what the circumstances are. When you record your first sack of the season, you celebrate like you just won the Super Bowl no matter how badly your team is doing. Sometimes, you’ve just gotta dance.
Ryan Davis Takes a Selfie
Date: 8/28/2014
Matchup: Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Atlanta Falcons
Quarterback: T.J. Yates
An undrafted free agent out of Bethune-Cookman in 2012, Ryan Davis has had to fight for everything he’s gotten in the NFL. You’d forgive him, then, for celebrating just a little too hard after this preseason sack of T.J. Yates. The good news? Davis is getting regular playing time for the Jags in the regular season too, and already has 2.0 sacks in his first two games.
Chris Long Struts Like Ric Flair
Date: 10/28/2013
Matchup: St. Louis Rams vs. Seattle Seahawks
Quarterback: Russell Wilson
Chris Long’s teammate James Laurinaitis is the son of legendary wrestler Road Warrior Animal, so it isn’t a huge shock that there are some WWE-centric celebrations coming out of St. Louis. And considering how often Long takes down quarterbacks, he’s going to have plenty of opportunities to pay tribute to some of the biggest stars of the squared circle. “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair would be proud.
Ryan Kerrigan Channels "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels
Date: 9/14/2014
Matchup: Washington Redskins vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Quarterback: Chad Henne
Ryan Kerrigan was unstoppable against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, tying the franchise record with 4.0 sacks in the game as Washington laid a 41-10 whooping on the Jags. After both his first and fourth sacks, Kerrigan hit the signature pose of beloved wrestler Shawn Michaels, although apparently it wasn’t even his idea. The signature dip-and-flex was at the behest of fellow linebacker Will Compton, who told Kerrigan repeatedly to “Hit the HBK, hit the HBK.” Thank you, Will.