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Daniel Oyefusi
CINCINNATI–The night before making NFL history, cleveland browns defensive end miles garrett One dream was to fall short of the league’s single-season sack record.
However, Garrett finds a way to make sure that nightmare does not become reality.
with his sack cincinnati bengals quarterback joe burro In the fourth quarter of Sunday’s finale, Garrett reached 23rd for the season, breaking the NFL single-season sack record.
eviction in browns 20-18 The win pushed Garrett past the previous record of 22.5 sacks that was set and equaled by Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Strahan in 2001. pittsburgh steelers edge runner tj watt In 2021.
For most of the afternoon, Garrett was close to taking down Burrow. Earlier on the drive when Garrett set the record, he lined up at defensive tackle and then attacked as an off-ball linebacker. Finally, with 5:17 left, Garrett had his fastest get-off of the season – 0.23 seconds, according to NFL Next Gen Stats – and used a clever swimming move to get past the left tackle. orlando brown jrand Coral Borough,
“It was everything I expected,” said Garrett, whose parents were in attendance to witness the record-breaking sack. “It was very tough. I knew they were going to make it tough, but I don’t think I saw more than three singles on a true dropback the entire game. I just knew if I did, I had to make that moment count. The feeling couldn’t be better than that.”
This is the 12th time in his career that he has dismissed Burrow, leading to a break with him Baltimore Ravens, lamar jackson 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 campaign.
As the crowd erupted at Pecor Stadium, about 250 miles from Cleveland, Garrett raised his hands in relief before folding his arms. Garrett ran to the sidelines to meet the crowd of his teammates, who hoisted him onto their shoulders.
“This is history,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said. “He’s the sack king. It’s unbelievable. They’ve been playing this game a long time, and to get it done under those circumstances with the difficulty he’s gotten it in this season is incredible. He’s the Defensive Player of the Year. If I had the vote you’d make him MVP. And I think the reaction from his teammates is genuine. It’s genuine. These guys care about each other.”
Garrett, the 2023 Defensive Player of the Year and a heavy favorite to win the award again this season, used a herculean effort to rewrite the history books. Entering Week 18, Garrett’s 22 sacks were tied for third-most by a player in a single season since 1982, when individual sacks became an official statistic. Before his streak ended in the Browns’ Week 17 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, Garrett had recorded at least a half-sack in nine consecutive games. This included a five-sack performance against new England Patriots In Week 9, Garrett recorded a career high for the Browns, as well as a four-sack performance against the Ravens in Week 11.
in week 14 against tennessee titansGarrett became the 13th 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 to record at least 10 sacks in each of the last eight seasons. With 125.5 career sacks, Garrett is second for most sacks by a player in his first nine seasons since 1982. Garrett, who turned 30 on December 29, also passed Hall of Famer Reggie White (108) for 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 (Watts, 115). Garrett, a six-time Pro Bowl selection and four-time All-Pro selection, leads the league with 33 tackles for loss.
Cleveland’s loss to the Titans in Week 14 officially eliminated the Browns from playoff contention. However, Garrett’s teammates and coaches rallied to his quest for history even in a losing 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 requesting a trade in February. Such a contract brought even greater expectations for the premier pass rusher of his generation.
Garrett responded with his best season – and the greatest ever for a pass rusher.
“This is the best defensive end of our generation,” said Brown, who has faced Garrett several times in the AFC North as a member of the Bengals and Ravens. “I’ve got a lot of respect for him and his game and his attitude.”
As Garrett concluded his post-game news conference, he quoted lyrics from Kanye West’s “I Wonder”, the song that played on his phone as he walked to the lectern to summarize his afternoon speech.
“Watch your dreams come true,” Garrett said. “I’ve been waiting for this my whole life, my whole football career. I knew I had it in me. I wanted that 25.” [sacks]They’ve made it really tough these last two games, especially, but really these last three, That’ll be the next trip, to go out there and try to get 25,”
