Myles Garrett Shatters NFL Sack Record in Historic Season

The Night the Record Fell

Myles Garrett’s 23rd sack arrived with 3:12 left in the fourth quarter, a blind-side tomahawk that sent the ball skittering across the frozen Cleveland turf and 67,431 fans into delirium. In that moment, the Browns’ star defensive end erased a mark that had stood since 2001 and etched his name atop the NFL’s single-season sack list.

A Season of Relentless Pressure

Garrett entered Week 17 chasing ghosts—Michael Strahan’s 22.5-sack benchmark had loomed for more than two decades. But the 28-year-old pass-rusher made the extraordinary look routine, turning quarterback meetings into highlight reels. He recorded at least one sack in 14 of 17 games, twice notching three in a single afternoon.

“Every week felt like a street fight,” Garrett said after Sunday’s 27-17 win over Cincinnati. “I just kept bringing the same knife.”

The Anatomy of a Sack King

• First-step explosion: Garrett’s 10-yard split at the 2017 combine—1.63 seconds—still ranks among the fastest ever for an edge rusher.
• Hand violence: Coaches credit martial-arts training; Garrett credits “a lot of angry piano playing.”
• Stamina: He played 88% of defensive snaps, refusing to come off the field on third down.

From Draft-day Projection to Immortality

Selected No. 1 overall in 2017, Garrett arrived in Cleveland carrying a replica lightsaber and outsized expectations. Injuries and a high-profile car crash threatened to derail his trajectory, yet each setback sharpened his resolve. “Pressure either bursts pipes or makes diamonds,” teammate Denzel Ward noted. “Myles became a whole jewelers’ district.”

What the Numbers Say

Garrett’s 23 sacks came on just 394 pass-rush snaps, per Pro Football Focus—an efficiency rate of 5.8%. For context, Strahan logged 22.5 sacks on 509 snaps in 2001. Advanced metrics also credit Garrett with 32 quarterback hits and 14 forced fumbles, the most by any defender since the league began tracking the stat in 1999.

History in Real Time

As the clock hit zero, Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam presented Garrett with the game ball. Confetti cannons—usually reserved for playoff victories—erupted. Strahan, now a FOX analyst, tweeted within minutes: “Records are meant to be broken. Congrats, young king.”

Next Chapter: Playoffs and Legacy

Cleveland clinched the AFC North and a first-round bye, positioning Garrett for a postseason run that could cement more than individual glory. “Individual records are sweet,” Garrett said, “but parades taste better.”