Myles Garrett vs. Josh Allen: A Heavyweight Clash in Cleveland with NFL History on the Line
Myles Garrett isn’t one to downplay a big moment. And with Week 16 bringing Josh Allen and the 10-4 Buffalo Bills to town, the Cleveland Browns’ star edge rusher isn’t hiding how much this game means.
“Absolutely,” he said with a grin when asked if it would mean more to break the NFL’s single-season sack record against Allen. That’s not just a soundbite - that’s a competitor circling the date.
The Browns haven’t had a home game this hyped in a long time. Sunday’s matchup at Huntington Bank Stadium isn’t just about playoff implications for Buffalo or Cleveland’s chance to play spoiler - it’s a collision of elite talent, national attention, and a potential place in the record books.
Let’s set the stage: Josh Allen, the reigning MVP, is leading a Bills team that looks every bit like a Super Bowl contender. Garrett, meanwhile, is sitting at 21 sacks - just 1.5 shy of the all-time single-season record of 22.5, shared by Michael Strahan and T.J.
Watt. The stakes are clear.
The spotlight is brighter than ever.
And then there’s the added wrinkle: Shedeur Sanders is set to make just his fifth career start for the Browns. He’ll be staring across the field at one of the game’s most dynamic quarterbacks, trying to keep pace with a Bills offense that can explode at any moment.
The Browns, sitting at 3-11 and fresh off a brutal 31-3 loss to the Bears, aren’t expected to win this one. Vegas has them as double-digit underdogs at home.
But that doesn’t mean the game lacks intrigue - far from it. Garrett’s chase for history, Allen’s MVP-caliber play, and a packed stadium in Cleveland all add up to a must-watch matchup.
Garrett knows exactly what kind of challenge he’s up against in Allen. “The guy’s unbelievable,” he said.
“There’s no one like him. It’ll be a fun matchup.
He’s the reigning MVP for a reason. We’ll have to stop him.
We’ll have to stop that running game, and we’ll have to try and make them one-dimensional - but that’s a helluva dimension to have.”
That’s high praise, and it’s mutual. Allen had plenty of respect to offer when asked about Garrett earlier this week.
“One of the greatest of all time,” he said. “Just the all-around football player.”
But don’t expect Allen to be thrilled about possibly being the answer to a future trivia question. “I do like highlight tapes,” he joked, “but I don’t like being a part of other people’s highlight tapes.”
Here’s where things get interesting. Allen has a bit of a reputation for holding onto the ball - extending plays, waiting for something to break open, and putting pressure on defenses with his legs and arm.
That style creates magic, but it also invites hits. In 2024, Allen was elite at avoiding sacks, going down just 14 times across 17 games.
This year? He’s already been sacked 33 times - tied with Lamar Jackson for sixth-most in the league entering Week 16.
That’s music to Garrett’s ears.
Garrett has been on a tear lately, racking up 17.5 sacks over the Browns’ last eight games. That’s not just production - that’s dominance.
He’s now up to 124.0 career sacks, good for 21st all-time. But here’s the twist: despite all that success, he’s only sacked Allen once in his career.
That stat might not hold up much longer.
For all of Allen’s brilliance - and make no mistake, he’s one of the toughest quarterbacks in football to bring down - Garrett is playing at a level right now that’s nearly impossible to contain. Sunday’s game may not decide a playoff spot for Cleveland, but it could end with one of the league’s most feared pass rushers making history.
And if that history comes at the expense of the reigning MVP? Garrett wouldn’t mind one bit.