The NFL has a new sack leader. Cleveland Browns defender Myles Garrett has broken a record set way back during the 2001 NFL season, a record that has sparked discourse over the decades.
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The Browns defender entered Week 18 with 22 sacks. He needed a half-sack against the Bengals to tie Michael Strahan and TJ Watt for the most all-time, and he needed one sack to break the record.
The 30-year-old got the sack with just over 5 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow dropped back on first-and-10 at the Browns 46-yard line. Garrett rushed around the left edge of the line and got his hands on the rival quarterback. Burrow dropped to the ground as the veteran defender registered his 23rd sack of the season.
Myles Garrett gets the record. pic.twitter.com/wQ3NabSA3c
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 4, 2026
This play had some similarities to Strahan's record-setting play back in January 2002. The Giants defender rushed around the edge and he headed toward Packers quarterback Brett Favre.
Instead of trying to elude Strahan, however, Favre just crumpled to the ground. This became what appeared to be the easiest sack of Strahan's career. Fast-forward to 2026, and Burrow also crumpled instead of trying to get away from Garrett.
It seemed inevitable that Garrett would break Strahan's record as the season progressed. The Browns defender racked up quarterback takedowns regularly even as the team struggled to contend for win.
The highlights of this season included a five-sack performance against the Patriots, a four-sack performance against the Ravens, and a three-sack performance against the Raiders.
Yet, the situation changed in recent weeks. He entered Week 16 only needing 1.5 sacks to break the record. He posted a half against the Bills but failed to register a quarterback takedown against the Steelers. This put extra pressure on Garrett to get one more against the Bengals.
Garrett ultimately delivered in crunch time, and he cemented his place in the NFL record books. He also moved to 125.5 sacks all-time. This put him into a tie with former Colts defender Dwight Freeney for 20th on the NFL's official leaderboard.
