It took until the fourth quarter of the final game of the regular season, but Cleveland Browns superstar edge-rusher Myles Garrett is the new sack king of the NFL.
Garrett got to Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow late in the Week 18 contest, recording his 23rd sack of the year. The play pushed Garrett ahead of Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end T.J. Watt and retired pass-rusher Michael Strahan, who shared the record of 22.5 sacks up until Sunday, January 4.
Reactions poured in from around the league, including one from injured Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
“Congrats! 💪🏼💪🏼 @Flash_Garrett,” Mahomes posted to X.
Green Bay Packers injured edge-rusher Micah Parsons who, like Mahomes, is out for the remainder of the year with an ACL tear also sent Garrett a message on social media.
“Congratulation to the OG MYLES GARRETT! #legendary! @Flash_Garrett,” Parsons wrote online.
With his sack and a tackle for loss on the afternoon, Garrett is poised to finish the season as the league leader in both categories with 23 sacks and 33 tackles for loss.
Those accomplishments are also likely to put Garrett in line for his second Defensive Player of the Year award in the last three years. He also won it back in 2023 on the strength of 17 tackles for loss and 14 sacks.
Garrett has already claimed Pro Bowl honors for the sixth consecutive time and now has amassed seven Pro Bowl selections over his nine-year career. His sixth straight All-Pro selection is a near certainty on the heels of his historic 2025 campaign.
Myles Garrett Never Doubted He Would Break Sack Record
GettyCleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett.
Garrett registered just a half-sack against the Buffalo Bills in Week 16 and came up empty in that statistical category in a 13-6 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers last weekend.
Despite his mini-drought of dropping quarterbacks, Garrett entered the contest against the Bengals certain that he would claim the record.
“My confidence hasn’t wavered. I’m fully confident that it’ll come, so I’m fine,” Garrett said, adding that it didn’t matter to him how the record-setting sack materialized or what it looked like on tape. “I don’t care if I run [Burrow’s] ass out of bounds. However he gets got, he gets got.”
Browns Win Close Game Against Bengals to Finish Off Myles Garrett’s Record-Setting Performance
GettyDefensive end Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns.
With just over five minutes to play in the fourth quarter, Garrett got an excellent jump off the right side of the line, beating the Bengals offensive tackle into the backfield with pure speed. Burrow stepped up into the pocket but wasn’t able to escape from Garrett, who caught him from behind and brought the quarterback down.
Garrett’s teammates picked him up on their shoulders in celebration amid what was a close contest all the way to the final whistle.
The Browns ended up coming from one point down on their final drive, kicking a field goal through the uprights as time expired. The victory closed out Cleveland’s season with a record of 5-12.
Rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders finished the year with a record of 3-4 as the starter. As a result, the Browns own the No. 7 pick in the 2026 draft.
They will also lay claim to the Jacksonville Jaguars‘ first-round pick, which is currently the No. 28 selection but could change depending on how Week 18 plays out around the league.
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