Cleveland Browns pass-rusher Myles Garrett is one sack away from making NFL history. He needs to take down Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow just once on Sunday to break the single-season sack record. The current record stands at 22.5 sacks, shared by T.J. Watt and Michael Strahan.
Garrett came up empty-handed against the Pittsburgh Steelers last week, failing to record a sack, but that hasn’t slowed him down. Now, all eyes are on Week 18 as he sets his sights squarely on Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, determined to notch the record-breaking sack that has eluded him.
His approach is refreshingly simple: straightforward, no-nonsense, and all about results. “They all count. So, I don’t care if I run his (expletive) out of bounds,” Garrett said, according to Heavy.com. “However he gets got, he gets got.”
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Garrett has dominated Burrow throughout his career
Burrow has been sacked by Garrett 12 times, more than any other quarterback Garrett has faced. That number ties with Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, another AFC North rival. Garrett knew Burrow was at the top of his sack list.
“Absolutely. I’ve seen his face on the ground looking up at me, saying, ‘hi Myles’ and ‘hi Joe,’ too many times,” Garrett said. “So yeah, I figured he’d be at the top.” Like other athletes facing criticism, Garrett remains focused on his goal despite outside noise.
Both teams are out of the playoffs, but they still want to win and build confidence for next season. Burrow said he won’t change his game to help or hurt Garrett’s record chase. He plans to play normally and make smart decisions based on each situation. Meanwhile, how NBA legends handle viral controversies shows how sports stars deal with public attention.
The Steelers clearly tried to stop Garrett from breaking the record against them last week. Garrett believes they focused too much on him instead of winning the game. He’s confident he’ll get the record against Cincinnati. Athletes often face doubters, similar to how Bill Belichick’s girlfriend responded to critics earlier this year.
“My confidence hasn’t wavered. I’m fully confident that it’ll come, so I’m fine,” Garrett said. He’s dealing with a hip injury but doesn’t think it will slow him down. Garrett had two sacks against the Bengals in Week 1 this season.
Published: Jan 4, 2026 02:00 pm