Ravens Steelers in Week 18 face big questions
USAT’s Joe Rivera and Chris Bumbaca break down Lamar Jackson’s status and DK Metcalf’s suspension as Steelers and Ravens fight for AFC North.
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It all comes down to this for Myles Garrett and his pursuit of NFL history.
The Cleveland Browns defensive end will only have Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals to set the NFL single-season sack record. After getting out to a fast start, Garrett is stuck on 22 after being blanked last week in the penultimate game of the regular season. That leaves him a half-sack behind the mark held by Hall of Famer Michael Strahan and Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt.
Now, his hopes of entering the record book hinge on a takedown of Joe Burrow, whom Garrett has sacked 11 times in his career. That’s tied for first with Lamar Jackson in Garrett’s career.
Despite his chase coming down to the wire, Garrett isn’t concerned about coming up short again.
“My confidence hasn’t waivered,” Garrett said Friday. “I’m fully confident that it will come.”
USA TODAY Sports will have live updates of Garrett’s chase on Sunday, so check back here throughout the day for more:
As is typically the case, Myles Garrett isn’t having trouble winning at the line of scrimmage.
Garrett closed in on Burrow for a quarterback hit on a third-and-2 play, but Burrow was able to find Ja’Marr Chase for the first down.
With starting cornerbacks Denzel Ward (neck) and Tyson Campbell (shoulder) both questionable to return, Cleveland could have trouble holding up on the back end and giving Garrett enough time to set the sack record.
The second quarter started the same way it ended for the Browns and Bengals.
Noah Fant had the ball punched out by Jerome Baker after a catch, and Browns cornerback Sam Webb scooped up the ball and returned it 47 yards for a touchdown to extend the Browns’ lead to 14-6.
Myles Garrett hasn’t managed to corral Joe Burrow in the first quarter, but he still came up big for the Browns’ defense on a critical play.
Burrow’s first-and-goal pass from the Cleveland 7-yard line was tipped, leaving Devin Bush to bring in the interception. The linebacker then ran back the pick 97 yards, with Garrett joining him along the way to help spring a block on running back Chase Brown, who was in hot pursuit.
Cincinnati capitalized on a big way after a Shedeur Sanders fumble set the team up in prime position in the first quarter.
The Bengals needed only four plays to go 29 yards, with the drive capped by a 4-yard pass to running back Chase Brown for a touchdown.
Evan McPherson’s extra-point attempt was blocked by Alex Wright, leaving Cincinnati with a 6-0 lead.
If the Bengals’ first drive is any indication, Myles Garrett shouldn’t have a shortage of chances to set the NFL single-season sack record.
Despite opening the game with two rushes, the Bengals gave Garrett a prime window to set the mark on third down. Garrett worked inside and got into the face of Burrow, who tried to avoid the pressure but ended up taking a big hit from Isaiah McGuire.
Cleveland forced a three-and-out.
Garrett certainly knows how to corral Burrow given his history of reaching the Bengals gunslinger. But even more important for the defensive end’s odds could be the quarterback’s approach.
After the Pittsburgh Steelers repeatedly chipped Garrett and reverted to quick-hit throws to neutralize his threat, Burrow said this week that the Bengals wouldn’t reconfigure their game plan to avoid ending up on the wrong side of NFL history.
“I’m certainly not going to overcompensate either way,” Burrow said. “I’m not going to go out of my way to not let him get the record, and I’m not going to go out of my way to let him get the record either. I’m going to go and play football.
“There’s going to be situations that a sack is the best of the bad outcomes of that play, and maybe I take one and there’s going to be other situations that I’m about to get sacked and I need to throw it away in that situation. It’s such a situational game that I don’t think you can go in thinking one way or the other. Every play is so different.”
Bengals coach Zac Taylor said that preparing for the Browns necessitates taking a long look at how to prevent Garrett from wrecking a game.
“Our plan has never been any different. You want to limit his effectiveness,” Taylor said. “He makes as much of an impact on the game as any player in the NFL. Period. You think about 95 in your head every second of every week you’re playing the Cleveland Browns. You have to be ready for him.”
Michael Strahan first set the mark in 2001, and T.J. Watt later equaled it in 2021. The former set the mark in 16 games, while the latter played 15 games in a 17-game season.
- Sacks: 22
- Tackles: 59
- Forced fumbles: 3
