Myles Garrett didn’t break the sack record on Sunday but his Cleveland Browns did get the upset win, and Garrett believes there was a strong correlation between the two.
Garrett told reporters after the game that he felt like the Steelers were more focused on making sure he didn’t break the sack record than they were about winning the game.
“To an extent, I feel like they were more worried about keeping me away from Aaron [Rodgers] than, you know, getting the win, and I think that’s what came back to bite them,” Garrett said after the Browns’ 13-6 upset win in Cleveland. “They’ll have to fight it out with Baltimore next week, but I’m just proud of the guys for fighting and getting this win. That’s the main thing, and I’m always gonna keep it that.”
Garrett, who was often double-teamed or chipped by a running back and tight end, finished the game with just two pressures on 43 pass rush snaps.
He remains at 22 sacks on the season, one behind breaking the record of 22.5 shared by Michael Strahan (2001) and T.J. Watt (2021).
Sunday was the first time since Week 6 that Garrett didn’t record at least 0.5 sack in a game.
Garrett, meanwhile, will have one more shot at the record when the Browns visit the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 18. Garrett had two sacks in the Week 1 matchup between the two teams.
As for the Steelers, the lost to Cleveland sets up a winner-take-all game against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 18.
