SAN FRANCISCO -- Outside linebacker Aldon Smith took another two steps closer to the NFL record book on Sunday.
Smith keyed another strong defensive performance with two sacks in the 49ers' 27-13 victory over the Miami Dolphins at Candlestick Park.
Smith now holds the 49ers' single-season record for sacks, breaking Hall of Famer Fred Dean's mark of 17.5, which he set in 1983. And Smith is just three sacks behind Michael Strahan's NFL record of 22.5, which he set in 2001.
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"I could've played better," Smith said.
Smith let one sack get away from him when Ryan Tannehill wiggled free in the fourth quarter. But he made up for it a short time later.
"You can't let it happen twice," he said. "You have to make up for it on the next play."
When asked where Aldon Smith ranks among the young defensive players in the NFL, 49ers defensive lineman Justin Smith said he belongs at the top.
San Francisco 49ers
"Right now, he's No. 1, isn't he?" Justin Smith said. "I mean, nobody has been on a pace like that. So right now, he's the guy. Can't rank him with anybody else, really."