Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett set a new NFL single season sack record, notching his 23rd sack of the year in his team’s 20-18 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.
“That’s history,” head coach Kevin Stefanski said following the game. “I mean, he’s the sack king. That’s unbelievable. They’ve been playing this game for a long time, and for him to go get that in the circumstances with the degree of difficulty in which he got it this season is unbelievable.
“He’s the Defensive Player of the Year. You can make him the MVP if I had a vote. And I think the reaction of his teammates is real. That’s genuine. These guys care about each other.”
The historic moment came with 5:17 remaining in the 4th quarter as Garrett slipped past left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. to take down Bengals QB Joe Burrow. It was the 12th time in his career that the former Defensive Player of the Year brought down Burrow, pushing him past Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt who jointly held the previous NFL record of 22.5 sacks in a year.
Garrett’s impressive run included a 5 sack day against the New England Patriots, and a 4 sack performance against the Baltimore Ravens. The 30 year old is the first player in NFL history to record at least 12 sacks in six consecutive seasons, and has likely cemented his place in Canton once his career is over with his latest accomplishment.
The record setting performance wraps up an otherwise dismal year for the 5-12 Browns. The win means the team has now strung together consecutive victories for the first time all season, giving fans hope that perhaps the team can take another step forward in 2026.
Photo: Erik Drost. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.