It took a few weeks longer than he wanted it to, but Myles Garrett’s storybook 2025 season can now officially be immortalized in NFL lore.
The league’s official single-season sack record had stood for 23 years, and was shared by a pair of all-time greats in Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt. It now belongs to Garrett, and Garrett alone — with the new benchmark set at 23 (and counting).
Garrett claimed his record-breaking 23rd sack of the season Sunday when he dropped longtime AFC North rival Joe Burrow for a 6-yard loss with 5:11 remaining in the fourth quarter. He overcame another dismal performance from Cleveland's offense, and a run-heavy Bengals game plan to end a mini-slump, by his standards.
Garrett’s historic season was a rollercoaster ride, one that’s seen his team flounder to 12 losses in 16 games. At this point, it’s hard to even fathom Garrett’s three-game, early-season stretch against Detroit, Minnesota and Pittsburgh that saw him get blanked in the sack column altogether.
But the NFL record was suddenly on the radar after Garrett recorded a career-high five sacks against MVP favorite Drake Maye and the New England Patriots in Week 8. It was part of the most dominant stretch by a singular defensive player in league history, with Garrett amassing 13 sacks in a span of just four games.
Momentum slowed in recent weeks as the sack chase became a media focal point. But as Garrett said repeatedly throughout the process: It was only a matter of time, even if it took all 17 games to get there.
The most impressive part of this never-before-seen feat? It never should’ve even been possible.
Myles Garrett didn’t just break the record — he did it all by himself
It’s customary for an accomplishment like this to be celebrated team-wide, but that’s not really the case with these Browns.
Cleveland’s lack of pass-rushing help on the edge, and its struggles on the interior to stop the run over the second half of the season, made Garrett’s plight a herculean task.
Opposing teams were already scheming around No. 95 each week, but Cleveland’s lack of a feared sidekick often left Garrett on an island facing chips from tight ends and constant double teams. Defensive tackle Maliek Collins ranks second on the team in sacks with 6.5, and he hasn’t played since suffering a season-ending quad injury in Week 13. The next defensive lineman on the list is the ascending Alex Wright with his career-high 5.5.
Garrett’s pace slowed considerably after Cleveland’s road win over the Raiders in Week 12. Injuries to Collins and No. 1 cornerback Denzel Ward played a major factor, along with a run defense that surrendered 581 yards on the ground over a four-game stretch, an average of 145.25 per.
The Browns went 0-4 in those games, and Garrett was held mostly in check, despite adding four sacks total against the 49ers, Titans, Bears, and Bills.
There’s really no team-wide significance for this record. The Browns were trending in the wrong direction defensively until last week's upset win over the Steelers, and the losses only continued to pile as Garrett got closer to the previous mark of 22.5.
It's a bright spot in an otherwise brutal season overall for Browns fans, but it’s an accomplishment that may one day cement Garrett’s legacy as the greatest defensive player of all time. Sure, Strahan accomplished the original feat during a 16-game season in 2001; and Watt's 2021 season stands alone with his 22.5 sacks in just 15 games played, due to injuries.
But reaching 23-plus sacks, with next to no help, on a losing team that’s often playing from behind on the scoreboard? That's a legendary feat that should definitely be celebrated in Cleveland and beyond.