Will McDonald IV ties Jets' single-game sacks record in win over Browns
If the famed "New York Sack Exchange" fraternity displays a ceremonial bell somewhere, Will McDonald IV should be the next player allowed to ring it.
While a handful of individuals delivered clutch plays that propelled the Jetsto a 27-20 home win over the Browns on Sunday, nobody on the field was more dominant than McDonald. The third-year defensive end made history in the trenches, logging four sacks that tied a franchise single-game record.
Of the four takedowns from McDonald -- he now has 7.0 total this season and should exceed his career-high mark of 10.5 set in 2024 -- three occurred in the second quarter, with Browns rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel swallowed up in third-down shotgun formation.
McDonald's final sack was a nail in the coffin. With the Jets ahead 27-17 midway through the fourth quarter, he stuffed Gabriel inside the pocket on fourth down with the Browns needing just one yard to move the chains. McDonald then celebrated by crawling near midfield and raising his arms to the crowd.
After the win, Jets head coach Aaron Glenn discussed recent dialogue between him and McDonald, as he wanted to pick the player's brain with the team coming off a Week 8 win and Week 9 bye. Glenn said that McDonald shared a message of being relentless in Week 10 -- mission accomplished.
"I told [Glenn] I was going to keep being relentless," McDonald said. "I was just taking advantage of those opportunities that I had... You've just got to take advantage of that one rep because maybe that one rep is going to change the game."
McDonald became just the third Jets player to register four-plus sacks in a game, joining Mark Gastineau and John Abraham. Overall, the former first-round pick generated eight pressures, five quarterback hits, and four tackles for a loss.
"I have a lot of belief in that player, and for him to come out and do exactly what he said he's going to do during the week is be relentless and go make plays," Glenn said of McDonald. "He went out there and he did that, and to get four sacks in the game, that's a huge deal, actually."
McDonald wasn't the only Jets defender who ate some of Gabriel's lunch. Quincy Williams and Jermaine Johnson also logged one sack apiece, pushing the team's game total to 6.0 and season total to 17.0.
Will McDonald IV's fourth sack of the game comes on fourth down
- NFL (@NFL)November 9, 2025
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