Myles Garrett Breaks NFL Single-Season Sack Record With 23rd
Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett broke the NFL\'s single-season sack record Sunday, recording his 23rd sack in a 20-18 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals to surpass the previous mark of 22.5 shared by Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt.
Garrett sacked Joe Burrow with 5:17 remaining in the fourth quarter, using a 0.23-second get-off and swim move to beat left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. The record-breaking play came after Garrett lined up at defensive tackle and blitzed as an off-ball linebacker.
The 30-year-old became the 12th player to record 20 sacks in a season and the first player in NFL history to record at least 12 sacks in six consecutive seasons. Garrett also leads the league with 33 tackles for loss.
Garrett\'s 22 sacks entering Week 18 were tied for third-most in a season since 1982, when sacks became an official statistic. He recorded at least half a sack in nine straight games before his streak ended in Week 17 against Pittsburgh.
The stretch included a five-sack performance against New England in Week 9 and a four-sack showing against Baltimore in Week 11. Both games set career and franchise records.
\"That\'s history,\" Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said. \"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.\"
Garrett has 125.5 career sacks, the second-most by a player in his first nine seasons since 1982. He surpassed Reggie White (108) for the most sacks by a player under age 30.
\"Find your dreams come true,\" Garrett said. \"Been waiting on this my whole life, my whole football career. I knew I had it in me. I wanted that 25 [sacks]. They made it real difficult these last two games, especially, but really these last three. That\'ll be the next journey, trying to go out there and get 25.\"
The 2023 Defensive Player of the Year and overwhelming favorite to win the award again signed a four-year, $160 million extension before the season. Garrett has 10.5 more sacks than any player since entering the league in 2017.