Myles Garrett finally said what everyone in Cleveland has been thinking

Myles Garrett knows the sack record he’s been chasing will be there in the end, but he admitted some recent frustration that it’s taken this long to get there.

The superstar Cleveland Browns edge defender went on an all-time heater over a four-game stretch from late October to mid-November. Garrett piled up 13 sacks over that span, including a career-high five against Drake Maye and the New England Patriots, and four against Lamar Jackson and the rival Baltimore Ravens. 

For context, only four players have 13-plus sacks in this entire season entering Week 17.

Garrett was so dominant, it felt more probable than not that he would sack rookie Cam Ward of the then one-win Tennessee Titans four times and be done with the record back in Week 14.

But the Titans made it tough on Garrett in that game. He collected one sack, moving to 20 on the season that week, but running back Tony Pollard had a big day on the ground with 161 rushing yards, and Tennessee leaned heavily on the quick passing game to keep Garrett at bay.

Cleveland lost that game, 31-29, and Garrett has since fallen into a bit of slump, at least by his standards. He notched 1.5 sacks against Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears, moving one shy of the NFL’s official all-time single-season record of 22.5. But the Browns got pummeled  in that one, 31-3, and Garrett had one of his least impactful games of the season against Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills last Sunday, Week 16, barely sniffing the box score outside of being credited with a half-sack on a play Allen gave himself up on.

The elephant in the room right now? Garrett hasn’t really wrecked a game since Week 12, when the Browns bested the Las Vegas Raiders on the road in rookie Shedeur Sanders’ first start. Garrett hit QB Geno Smith six times in that game, and finished with three sacks, four tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles.

He only has three sacks and nine QB hits total over the Browns’ four games since, and there are some undeniable factors at play that are contributing to his growing frustrations on the field.

The frustrating reality keeping Myles Garrett from NFL history

Last week, Garrett spoke on what an honor it would be to share his record-setting sack with Allen, the NFL’s reigning MVP. He struck a similar chord this week when speaking about Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The problem right now is that every Browns opponent is hyperaware of the situation, and they’re not giving Garrett many opportunities to make plays in general — let alone sacks. Garrett lamented that harsh reality following last week's 23-20 loss to Buffalo.

“It’s tough, when they’re getting it out quick. A lot of quick game, a lot of rolling the pocket the other direction. I didn’t see a lot of plays in general, in my direction, and I’m sure that’s not by coincidence. So that’s tough, to try to be disruptive and get into a groove and work myself into the game when they’re doing stuff like that. So I just have to think about how I can be more effective, and make more noise next week.”

Unless the Steelers end up resting starters on Sunday — which is an actually a possibility based on Saturday’s late Ravens-Packers result — Garrett figures to face the same uphill battle he’s been experiencing in recent weeks. The Browns have been absolutely brutal against the run, a trend that’s continued since that Titans game, and few QBs get the ball out faster than Rodgers; per Next Gen Stats, Rodgers leads all NFL starters this year with an average time to throw of 2.63 seconds.

Rodgers is 42 years old and his best downfield threat, D.K. Metcalf, is suspended for the rest of the regular season. His leading receiver in terms of catches is running back Kenneth Gainwell with 62. The Browns figure to see a lot of handoffs to Jaylen Warren and Gainwell, and a lot of quick passes to the backs and tight ends.

That could make things tough on Garrett Sunday in what will be his final home game of the season. His plight has also been exacerbated by a lack of help. Garrett leads the NFL with 22 sacks on the season; the Browns’ next player on the list is Maliek Collins with 6.5 — and he’s an interior lineman who suffered a season-ending injury back in Week 13.

Garrett’s right. The record will almost certainly fall, most likely during this week’s home finale. That's the way it should be.

But what seemed inevitable just a few weeks ago no longer feels like such a guarantee.