Myles Garrett Is Hunting History-But He Wants the Win More
Myles Garrett isn’t talking like a man chasing a record. He’s talking like a man who already sees it in the rearview mirror.
With four sacks separating him from the NFL’s single-season sack record, Garrett isn’t making bold proclamations or counting down the plays. He’s just looking for “opportunities”-and when you’re facing the most sacked quarterback in the league, opportunity might as well be knocking with a battering ram.
The Browns’ star defensive end enters Sunday’s matchup against the 1-11 Tennessee Titans with 19 sacks on the season-already a staggering number. Titans rookie quarterback Cam Ward has been sacked 48 times this year, more than anyone else in the league. That’s a recipe for a potential explosion from Garrett, who’s already posted two games this season with four or more sacks.
Let that sink in: two four-sack games in one season. That’s not just elite, it’s historic. In fact, Garrett is having the most prolific pass-rushing season through 13 games since Aldon Smith’s 19.5-sack campaign in 2012.
And while Garrett hasn’t said outright that he plans to break the record-shared by Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt at 22.5-he’s not exactly hiding his ambition either.
“I don’t even think about (the record) as a want - I just think about it as something that I’m going to knock down,” Garrett said this week. “It’s already been written in my mind that it’s going (down). It’s just how far I’m going to take it.”
If you’re wondering how far he wants to take it, look no further than the number he wrote on his wrist tape last week: 25. That’s the goal. It’s a number he’s had in mind since last season, when he won his first Defensive Player of the Year award after posting 14 sacks and leading the Browns to the playoffs.
This season, the team success hasn’t followed. The Browns are 3-9 and struggling to stay afloat.
But Garrett? He’s been relentless.
His production hasn’t dipped, even in defeat. He had four sacks in a loss to the Ravens last month, and five more in a loss to New England in late October.
He added another sack in last week’s 26-8 loss to the 49ers.
Still, Garrett’s not chasing the record for the sake of a headline. He wants it to come in a win. That’s the part that matters most to him.
“If I get the record, I want it to be in a win,” he said. “And whatever it takes, if I get (half a sack) or one, or if I get none and we win, I’m just glad to have a win. I like to see the smile on the guys’ faces after a win, that kind of pressure leaving their shoulders.”
That’s the mindset of a leader. And make no mistake, Garrett has become the heartbeat of this Browns defense. He’s not just racking up sacks-he’s setting the tone, pushing his teammates, and trying to lift a struggling team with every snap.
The league is taking notice, too. Garrett was just named AFC Defensive Player of the Month for November, and he’s on the verge of matching a feat only Lawrence Taylor has accomplished since sacks became an official stat in 1982: four three-sack games in a single season. Garrett already has eight such games in his career.
Earlier this year, he passed Taylor to become the first player ever with at least 12 sacks in six straight seasons. With 121.5 sacks in 129 career games, Garrett now holds the NFL record for most sacks before turning 30-surpassing none other than Reggie White, who had 108.
And here’s another one for the history books: Garrett is just the third player in NFL history to post 16 or more sacks in three different seasons, joining J.J. Watt and White once again. He broke his own Browns franchise record with his 17th sack during a three-sack performance against the Raiders in Week 12.
So yes, the record is within reach. But for Garrett, it’s not about the number-it’s about the impact.
It’s about momentum. It’s about wins.
And if he happens to rewrite the record books along the way, so be it.
Sunday could be the day. All the pieces are in place: a vulnerable quarterback, a defense that needs a spark, and a generational pass rusher with history in his sights.
But Garrett isn’t chasing history. He’s chasing victory.
The sacks? Those are just the byproduct of a man on a mission.