Titans Stun Browns, Slow Myles Garrett’s Sack Chase in Surprise Upset
Sunday was supposed to be about Myles Garrett chasing NFL history. Instead, it turned into a statement game for a Tennessee Titans team that came into Cleveland with little to play for - and left with a 31-29 win that turned heads across the league.
Garrett, who entered the day with a shot at closing in on the single-season sack record, added just one more to his total. That puts him at 20 on the year - still within striking distance of the official record (22.5) and the unofficial mark (23) - but the Titans made sure they wouldn’t be the ones remembered for giving it up.
Titans Draw the Line Against Garrett
Peter Skoronski, Tennessee’s rookie left guard, didn’t mince words after the game. He and the Titans’ offensive line came into the matchup with a clear goal: don’t end up on the wrong side of history.
“I was not wanting to be on any NFL Films legendary tape of him breaking the record,” Skoronski said, referencing the iconic image of Michael Strahan sacking Brett Favre to set the record. “I can picture it.
So I was like, ‘I cannot. We cannot do that.’”
And they didn’t. Despite Garrett’s elite pass-rushing ability - and the fact that he’s arguably the most feared edge rusher in the league - Tennessee kept him relatively contained. One sack, and not much more.
Left tackle Dan Moore Jr. summed it up best: “(Garrett’s) one of one, bro. Just the way he can bend his power, the way he can run the edge at 275 (pounds). No one else like it.”
That’s high praise - and well-earned. Garrett has been a force all season long, and even on a day when the Titans limited his impact, he still found a way to get home once. But the Titans’ line deserves serious credit for holding the Browns' superstar mostly in check.
Browns’ Season Spirals, Garrett Sends a Message
While the Titans celebrated just their second win of the season - a gritty, pride-filled performance from a team with little left to prove - the mood in Cleveland was far different.
The loss dropped the Browns to 3-10. It’s their fourth losing season in the last five years, and with playoff hopes officially extinguished, the focus now shifts to the future - and the leadership within the locker room.
Garrett, who signed a massive four-year, $160 million extension this past offseason (including $123.5 million guaranteed), was asked what he’s telling his teammates with the season effectively over.
“Same thing I always tell them - prepare to win,” Garrett said. “Prepare, work hard, don’t change anything about… from your focus, your preparation, your routine, from the beginning of the year to now.
This is setting us up for the rest of the year and next year. How we choose to handle these games is defining not only our team, but us as men.”
That’s the kind of message you want from your franchise cornerstone - especially in a season that’s fallen far short of expectations. Garrett’s not just chasing sack records; he’s trying to set a tone for what comes next.
What’s Ahead
The Browns have four games left on the schedule, starting with a tough road matchup against the 9-4 Chicago Bears on Dec. 14. As of Monday morning, oddsmakers had Cleveland listed as a seven-point underdog - not surprising, given the team’s recent struggles.
But even in a lost season, there’s still something to play for. Garrett’s sack chase is very much alive, and how the Browns respond down the stretch could say a lot about the culture being built - or rebuilt - in Cleveland.
For now, though, the day belongs to Tennessee. A team with two wins, no playoff shot, and plenty of pride walked into Cleveland and played spoiler - and in doing so, they made sure they weren’t the footnote in Garrett’s historic season.