It was a historic night at Paycor Stadium as Myles Garrett crossed a threshold that only a handful of defensive players in NFL history have ever reached. By bringing down Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, Garrett not only recorded a decisive fourth-quarter sack, but also etched his name into the record books by setting a new NFL single-season sacks record.
The celebration was anything but quiet. After registering his 23rd sack of the season-surpassing the previous mark of 22.5 shared by Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt-chaos erupted among defenders, coaches, and fans alike. The milestone came in the final game of the regular season, as the Cleveland Browns faced the Cincinnati Bengals.
Garrett, who has been with the Browns since being drafted in 2017, has steadily built his career year by year, but the 2025 season stands as the defining campaign of his individual dominance.
Garrett’s record and a dream fulfilled
Selected first overall in the 2017 NFL Draft out of Texas A&M, Garrett entered the postgame media area with symbolic music playing from his phone: “I Wonder” by Kanye West. He then opened up about what the moment meant to him.
“Find your dreams come true. Been waiting on this my whole life, my whole football career,” Garrett said after the historic play in what has been a dream season.
Earlier in October, he also surpassed Reggie White (108.0) for the most sacks by a player before turning 30 years old.
While the game carried no playoff implications, the atmosphere inside the stadium became electric and emotional. At one point, it appeared Garrett might run out of time to reach the record. Instead, through persistence and elite pass-rush instincts, he found his moment late-helped by the work he has done alongside Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz.
The pressure of the moment was undeniable, and Garrett admitted as much afterward.
“I can’t lie, I was nervous as hell. I had a dream last night that I didn’t get it and all the feelings that come with that… there’s no way I’m letting that be my destiny,” Garrett said, describing the emotions leading up to the play.
“It was everything I expected. It was special,” Garrett added as he recalled being lifted by his teammates. “It’s a privilege to go to work with these guys. I couldn’t imagine doing it with a better group of men.”
The achievement is especially notable given Garrett’s consistency as a quarterback nightmare since entering the league, even during seasons when Cleveland struggled for team success. Now, he is on pace to match the NFL’s all-time top 10, alongside legendary names such as Richard Dent and John Randle.
Read the full article here
