Oftentimes, as fans, it's hard to contextualize what it's like to play football games when a team is officially eliminated from playoff contention. Unfortunately for the Browns, they've been out of contention for a long time. Some fans would love nothing more than to see the Browns lose their remaining games, secure a high draft choice, and hopefully see a brighter future come to life.
This, of course, ignores the reality that the players we cheer for on Sundays go through a ton on a week-to-week basis in order to play. They play to earn an income — a handsome one at that — but that's not all. They also play for pride, for their teammates, and for the love of the game they've played since they were kids.
It's been a breath of fresh air that, despite the team's woeful 3–11 record, there has been an extremely intriguing storyline for Browns fans all season long. Myles Garrett's quest for the all-time sack record has been a sight to behold, as the mighty EDGE rusher has terrorized opposing quarterbacks all season long, and the pinnacle of his accomplishment could come to fruition at any time now.
Garrett is sitting at 21.5 sacks, one shy of tying the record and 1.5 short of besting it, with three contests to go. This season will certainly go down in NFL history as one of the most dominant singular defensive performances ever, and that's whether he breaks the record or not. The fact that the Browns are not competitive is hardly a reason to discredit his herculean feat.
Denzel Ward tells Myles Garrett not to break the sack record without him
Garrett has had at least one familiar face on the Browns for the majority of his tenure. A year after being selected first overall, the Browns drafted Denzel Ward fourth overall to continue trying to mold their defense into a top-tier unit.
Pass rush and coverage go hand-in-hand. It's easy to see how these two would be fast friends. Ward's efforts in the secondary provide an extra half-second for Garrett to get to the quarterback. In the event Garrett doesn't get home but still forces a bad throw, Ward or one of his defensive back mates comes down with the pick. It's a symbiotic relationship, and everyone ends up eating.
Ward spoke of wanting to be present for his teammate's big moment, and joked to the megastar to hold off until he was back from injury so he could be on the field to see it.
"That’s why I have to get back on the field. I told him, ‘Don’t break the record without me out there. I gotta be out there when he breaks the record.’ But it’s going to mean a lot. ... Everybody knows — he’s a Hall of Fame player, and his name is going to go down in history. We’re all here to witness it."
Ward had been holding out hope that he could start all the games for the team this year, but unfortunately it was for naught, as he had to sit out the team's Week 15 contest with a bad calf. It's unclear whether he will be able to make it back for Week 16, as the shutdown corner was unable to suit up for Wednesday's practice session.
If Ward truly wants to witness history from a front-row seat, he may have to gut out his injury. It would be playing with fire to miss any game down this final stretch, as Garrett is liable to take over any game at a snap's notice.
The Buffalo Bills' Josh Allen is on notice that Garrett's coming this week. Ward should get to rehabbing — seeing that Allen is the league's sixth-most sacked signal caller of 2025 — as history may very well be on the brink.