Cleveland Browns’ Myles Garrett said the Pittsburgh Steelers did everything they could to stop him. Everything except win.
The Steelers were in prime position to lock up the AFC North with a victory against the lowly Browns on Sunday. But the Cleveland defense made life miserable for the Steelers’ offense and ultimately made the difference in a 13-6 upset.
“[Feels] great,” Garrett said of the win. “Our rival, you always want to beat them, doesn’t matter the circumstances. [When] we line up, we want to beat those guys, and so I’m glad to have opportunity to do it and get the job done.”
On a rainy Sunday afternoon, the Steelers leaned heavily on the run game, with 24 rushing snaps. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers was 21 of 39 for 168 passing yards. He was sacked twice, but not by Garrett. Still, Garrett was around the football all day.
A reporter asked him if he felt like he was close to breaking the record.
“For sure,” replied Garrett. “But I mean, they kind of fell into the same line of thinking that the Packers did. ‘We’ll just throw everything at him and see if we can muster effort to win without it.'”
On the 23 pass rush snaps where he was not doubled or chipped, 17 were either quick passes or designed rollouts away from his side.
The Steelers were already in a bind at left tackle: starter Broderick Jones and backup Andrus Peat were both out with injuries, leaving practice squad call-up Dylan Cook on the blindside against one of the league’s best pass rushers.
“I mean, that’s their M.O., but of course they’re going to throw even quicker when I’m lined up on that side,” Garrett said of the quick passing attack.
“They had a chipper there, sometimes two chippers, and [the ball] was getting out quick, sometimes they were rolling away. They [were] doing a little bit of everything. And I’ve kind of come to expect that. I know they didn’t want me to be the one to break it against them.”
Garrett did not mince words, alleging that the Steelers were more worried about not giving up the record than attacking on offense.
“To an extent, I feel like they were more worried about keeping me away from Aaron than getting the win, and I think that’s what came back to bite them,” he said.
Rodgers also looked like he was eager to keep himself away from Garrett. On a couple of occasions when it looked like Garrett was about to close in on him, Rodgers dumped the ball off to a receiver, only for that receiver to get tackled in the backfield.
But Garrett was confident that he would seize the record on Jan. 4, 2026, against the Cincinnati Bengals.
“Absolutely,” he said. “Why shouldn’t I be? Four more quarters, 60 more minutes, however you want to draw it up, but it'll get done.”
Even though Garrett did not make an impact on the stat sheet, his presence took enough oxygen out of a Steelers passing attack that was also without wide receivers D.K. Metcalf and Calvin Austin, so that the rest of the defense was able to take control of the game.
Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders did just enough to get the win, leading two field goal drives and throwing a touchdown on a wobbly pass to tight end Harold Fannin Jr., who was untouched by the defense and tumbled backwards into the end zone.
“[It] shows heart, man. Shows grit,” Gerrett said of his teammates.
“I’m proud of those guys in there. It’s not easy, you know, getting up out of bed and ... taking care of business and preparing the way you did at the beginning of the season, knowing that the end is in sight. But that’s how you’re measured as a man, as a football player—what you do when your back’s against the wall. Those guys had a choice, and we made the choice to come out there and get the job done and get a win.”
