Myles Garrett didn't break the NFL single-season sack record in Sunday's 13-6 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. After the contest, the Cleveland Browns star pass rusher said the Steelers were more focused on avoiding him setting the record than winning the contest.
"To an extent, I feel like they were more worried about keeping me away from Aaron (Rodgers) than, you know, getting the win, and I think that's what came back to bite them," Garrett said, via Ashly Holder of Cleveland 19 News. "They'll have to fight it out with Baltimore next week, but I'm just proud of the guys for fighting and getting this win. That's the main thing, and I'm always gonna keep it that."
With DK Metcalf suspended and Calvin Austin III out due to injury, the Steelers lacked downfield threats to open the contest. Pittsburgh seemed intent on not allowing Garrett to beat them.
Pittsburgh chipped or doubled Garrett 16 times (41%), according to Next Gen Stats. On the 23 pass plays that he wasn't chipped or doubled, the Steelers threw quick or rolled away from him 17 times. Rodgers averaged a time to throw of 2.39 seconds, the quickest by any qualified quarterback against the Browns this season, per NGS.
"They kind of fell under the same line of thinking that the Packers did," said Garrett, who sits with 22 sacks. "We'll just throw everything at him. ... That's their M.O. But, of course, they're gonna throw even quicker when I'm lined up. On that side, they had a chipper there, sometimes two chippers.
"Getting it out quick, sometimes they were rolling away. They were doing a little bit of everything. I've come to expect that. I know they didn't want me to be the one to break it against them."
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin insisted the game plan had nothing to do with avoiding Garrett securing the sack record, co-held by T.J. Watt and Michael Strahan at 22.5.
"We didn't do anything against Myles that we don't normally do against Myles. The sack record is irrelevant," Tomlin said. "We gotta minimize him if we want to injure their victory. We did the same thing last time we played 'em. Don't think he had any sacks in that game, either. So we didn't take a different approach because of the gravity of the record; it's just standard business when you're playing these guys and him."
The Steelers' loss sets up a winner-take-all AFC North battle with the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday Night Football in Week 18. Meanwhile, Garrett now heads into a season-finale bout against the Cincinnati Bengals with a chance to make history.
