Cleveland Browns DE Myles Garrett had a big game against the Pittsburgh Steelers last time. Today’s game could be even bigger for him, at least from a broader view. Following his three-sack performance two weeks ago, he now sits at 98.5 for his career. If he manages another two sacks against the Steelers, he will reach the 100-sack milestone.
Since the NFL made the sack an official statistic, just 44 players have eclipsed the 100-sack mark. The Steelers’ T.J. Watt is the most recent to do so, managing it earlier this season. Both Khalil Mack and Calais Campbell crossed the 100-sack mark last season. Now Myles Garrett, two sacks away, is the next in line.
Garrett could have company, though, because the Houston Texans’ Danielle Hunter is sitting at 98 sacks. He already has 10.5 this season, with two multi-sack games in the past three weeks. Either or both of them could join the club at any time.
However, Danielle Hunter has played in 132 NFL games, while Myles Garrett has played in 112. Watt reached 100 sacks, the second-fastest in NFL history, in his 106th game. But Garrett obviously isn’t too far behind him. Even now, Watt is at 116 games with 106 sacks.
If Garrett were to record eight sacks over his next four games, he would actually be ahead of Watt’s per-game sack pace. The fact that they are so close is just a testament to how special this rivalry is. We rarely see two such elite pass-rushers at the same point in their career.
And you know that Myles Garrett would love to record his 100th sack against the Steelers. His 12 sacks against the Steelers are tied for the most against any opponent with the Bengals. Surprisingly, he also has 10 sacks against the Jets, with 8.5 against the Ravens.
Garrett actually needs three sacks to tie the rest for the most sacks ever recorded by a player against the Steelers. He trails only the Baltimore Ravens’ Terrell Suggs, who recorded 15 sacks against the Steelers during his career.
Given the odds, Garrett is likely to pass that mark next season. But not if the Steelers can help it. While they struggled to slow him down in the first half in the last game, they did a much better job of controlling him in the second half.
Will the Steelers have learned from what they did wrong in defending Garrett the last time out? They know their mistakes—but so do the Browns, and they will both be making adjustments.
And I’m guessing Mike Tomlin is letting his linemen know how close Garrett is to 100 sacks, too. Anything to use for motivation. It’s a point of pride. The Steelers don’t want to be the team against which he reaches such a big milestone.
