The Chicago Bears had one job heading into their matchup with the Cleveland Browns: don’t let Myles Garrett wreck the game. And let’s be clear-nobody really stops Garrett.
You just try to contain the storm. On Sunday, the Bears did exactly that.
Garrett still made his presence felt with 1.5 sacks, but rookie tackle Ozzy Trapilo held up well enough to keep things from spiraling. The result?
Caleb Williams had the time he needed to operate, throwing for 242 yards and two touchdowns as the Bears cruised to a dominant 31-3 win.
That final score says a lot, but what happened after the game might say even more about the mutual respect between two of the league’s rising and established stars. Cameras caught Garrett and Williams sharing a hug at midfield. The All-Pro edge rusher had a playful complaint for the Bears’ rookie quarterback:
“I just needed one more!”
Garrett, sitting at 21.5 sacks on the season, is now just one shy of the NFL’s single-season record held jointly by Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt.
The expectation around the league is that he’ll get there-it’s just a matter of time. But Williams wasn’t about to let that historic sack come at his expense.
“You knew I couldn’t let you get it on me, man,” Williams responded, grinning.
It was a lighthearted moment, but it also highlighted something deeper: the respect between a generational pass rusher and a young quarterback who just passed one of his biggest tests yet. Garrett was disruptive, as always, but Williams stayed poised, protected well enough to make plays and lead his team to a statement win.
Garrett’s Greatness Deserves More
While Garrett continues to chase history, it’s hard to ignore the bigger picture in Cleveland. He’s on a Hall of Fame trajectory-no debate there.
But the Browns haven’t exactly done him many favors over the years. They had a promising young quarterback in Baker Mayfield who delivered the franchise’s first playoff win in decades, only to move on from him in favor of Deshaun Watson.
That gamble hasn’t paid off. In fact, it’s set the franchise back.
And through it all, Garrett has kept producing. Year after year, he’s anchored elite defenses that have often been let down by instability on the other side of the ball.
Now, he finds himself in the middle of yet another rebuild, even after signing a major extension to stay in Cleveland. It’s a tough spot-one that feels eerily similar to the path Joe Thomas walked.
One of the best to ever play left tackle, Thomas never sniffed a Super Bowl with the Browns despite his greatness.
That’s the kind of legacy Garrett is at risk of mirroring: all-time talent, minimal team success.
What Comes Next?
Garrett’s future in Cleveland will be one of the league’s most intriguing storylines to watch. If the Browns decide to hit the reset button again, it’s fair to wonder if they’d consider moving him while his value is sky-high. A trade would be seismic-but not unthinkable.
And if that door ever opens, the Bears should be first in line.
Pairing Garrett with a defense that’s already trending upward would instantly elevate Chicago into the upper echelon of NFL defenses. Combine that with Caleb Williams and an offense that’s starting to find its rhythm, and you’ve got the makings of something special. A team that could contend-not just in the NFC North, but across the league.
For now, Garrett remains a Brown. And Williams remains the quarterback who kept him from tying the sack record-at least for one more week.
But in a league that never stops moving, moments like this can be more than just postgame banter. Sometimes, they’re the start of a new chapter.