CINCINNATI — With his sack of Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s season finale, Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett reached 23 for the season, breaking the NFL’s single-season sack record.
The takedown in the Browns’ 20-18 victory pushed Garrett past the previous record of 22.5 sacks that was set by Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Strahan in 2001 and matched by Pittsburgh Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt in 2021.
For much of the afternoon, Garrett neared bringing down Burrow. Garrett, earlier on the drive when he set the record, lined up at defensive tackle and then blitzed as an off-ball linebacker. Finally, with 5:17 left, Garrett was able to duck past left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. and corral Burrow.
As the crowd at Paycor Stadium — about 250 miles from Cleveland — erupted, Garrett raised his arms in relief, before putting his hands together and bowing while his teammates swarmed him.
It marked the 12th time Garrett had sacked Burrow in his career, breaking a tie with the Baltimore Ravens‘ Lamar Jackson for the most times Garrett has sacked a quarterback. Garrett also sacked Burrow last season to record his 100th career sack in Week 16 of the 2024 season.
The 2023 Defensive Player of the Year and overwhelming favorite to win the award again this season, Garrett used a torrid stretch to rewrite the history books. Entering Sunday, Garrett’s 22 sacks were tied for the third-most sacks in a single season by a player since 1982, when the individual sack became an official statistic. Before his streak ended in the Browns’ Week 17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, Garrett had recorded at least a half-sack in nine straight games. This included a five-sack performance against the New England Patriots in Week 9, a career-high for Garrett and a Browns franchise record, as well as a four-sack performance against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 11.
In Week 14 against the Tennessee Titans, Garrett became the 13th different player to record 20 sacks in a season.
Garrett is the first player in NFL history to record at least 12 sacks in six consecutive seasons, and he is the only player in league history to record at least 10 sacks in each of the past eight seasons. With 125.5 career sacks, Garrett has the second-most sacks by a player in his first nine seasons since 1982. Garrett, who turned 30 on Dec. 29, also passed Hall of Famer Reggie White (108) for the most sacks by a player under the age of 30.
The No. 1 pick in the 2017 NFL draft, Garrett has 10 more sacks than the next-closest player since entering the league (Watt, 115). Garrett, a six-time Pro Bowl selection and four-time All-Pro selection, also leads the league with 33 tackles for loss.
The Browns’ loss to the Titans in Week 14 officially eliminated the Browns from playoff contention. However, his teammates and coaches have rallied around his pursuit of history, even in a lost season.
Before the season, Garrett signed a four-year, $160 million extension — then a record for a non-quarterback — as he and the Browns reconciled after he requested a trade in February.
