Will Myles Garrett Break the NFL Sacks Record This Year?

Will Myles Garrett break the NFL single-season sacks record? He currently has 18 in 11 games and is on pace for 28.

It’s certainly more-than attainable. The record for sacks in a single season is currently shared by Michael Strahan (2001; 16 games) and T.J. Watt (2021; 17 games) at 22.5. The unofficial record is “held” by Al Baker of the Lions back in 1972 (before sacks were an official stat) with 23.

The Browns still have 6 games left on the season, and although their playoff hopes are all but gone, they’re still giving their fans something to be excited for. Garrett has been downright unstoppable this year (especially the past month), and he’s put himself well in position to steal the crown and stake his place in NFL history. Let’s break down the road ahead…

Garrett needs to tally 5 sacks in a span of 6 games to break the record (because 4.5 sacks would make it a 3-way tie, and we just can't have that), which, given his recent performances, should be a breeze. In his last 4 games he’s logged 3, 4, 1, and 5(!) sacks, respectively. That’s an average of 3.25 sacks per game! I can't even wrap my head around that number. And sure, he probably won’t be able to keep up that level for the rest of the season (I don't even know why I'm doubting that), but it’s ridiculous nonetheless. In order to break the record, he needs to average fewer than 1 sack per game. Doesn’t sound too crazy to me.

But let’s look at the teams he’s playing and see how the matchups play out. They play the 49ers, Titans, Bills, Bears, Steelers, and Bengals to end off the season. In terms of sacks allowed this season (with the number representing their rank in the NFL in terms of sacks allowed [with lower being worse]), it goes: 49ers– 25th, Titans– 1st, Bills– 12th, Bears– 26th, Steelers– 23rd, Bengals– 18th, which averages out to being middle-of-the-road in terms of ease-of-sack schedule (yes, I made that term up for this post). The game to circle, obviously, is the Titans, as Cam Ward gets sacked more than 4 times per game on average. If Garrett can rack up 3 or 4 sacks in that game, he should basically have the record in the bag! All he would need is another 1–2 over the other 5 games to beat the record. And all he needs is to get 1 more sack to break the unofficial record to put all the haters to bed! And lastly, if he’s able to do it in 16 games- which he should, as the Titans game is Week 13- that will silence anyone and everyone who could possibly dare discount his monster season.

The big question is if he can stay healthy for the rest of the season. He's not injury-prone by any stretch, but it can always be a factor in this league. He can afford to miss 1 (and probably even more than 1) game, but here's hoping a stupid knee injury doesn't derail his historic season...

I hope he beats it. He’s been a blast to watch this year so far, and I hope to see him continue to baffle offensive lines across the league and bring some positivity to Cleveland in an otherwise-fruitless season.