NFL records are usually measured in clean numbers, totals that sit neatly in record books and graphics packages. But on Sunday in Cincinnati, the moment that redefined the league’s single-season sack record wasn’t defined by a tally alone. It was defined by time. Or, more precisely, by how little of it Myles Garrett needed to make history.
Michael Strahan Takes a Lighthearted Dig at Myles Garrett After He Breaks Record
As Garrett’s name officially replaced Michael Strahan’s atop the single-season sack leaderboard, the former New York Giants player responded with a dig. Speaking during a Fox broadcast on Sunday, Strahan said:
“I mean, I hold the record for 16-game season, they hold the record for 17-game season.”
“I mean I hold the record for 16-game season, they hold the record for 17-game season.” 😂@michaelstrahan reacts to @Flash_Garrett becoming the new single-season sack leader 👏 pic.twitter.com/bAKxiMmOMB
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) January 4, 2026
The comment came alongside a smile, acknowledging the feat Garrett accomplished in Cleveland’s season finale against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Garrett entered Week 18 with 22 sacks, tied with Strahan’s 2001 total and T.J. Watt’s 2021 season for the most. For much of Sunday’s game, it seemed the record might slip through his grasp. He consistently pressured Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, collapsing the pocket and forcing hurried throws, but the decisive play remained elusive.
Cleveland’s coaching staff moved Garrett around in search of an opening. He lined up at defensive tackle on one snap, blitzed from an off-ball linebacker position on another, and continued to attack from wide alignments off the edge. Still, the breakthrough did not come until late.
With around five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Garrett lined up against left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. He timed the snap perfectly, dipped past the block, and wrapped up Burrow before the quarterback could reset his feet. The sack sealed a 20-18 Browns win and gave Garrett his 23rd sack of the season.
Garrett’s get-off time on the play was measured at just 0.23 seconds. The number stood out even against Garrett’s own standard. His average get-off this year was 0.70 seconds.
He recorded at least half a sack in nine consecutive games earlier this season. He posted a five-sack performance against the New England Patriots at midseason, followed by four sacks against the Baltimore Ravens a few weeks later.
“Been waiting on this my whole life, my whole football career,” Garrett said of the record breaking moment, via USA Today. “I knew I had it in me. I wanted that 25 [sacks]. They made it real difficult these last two games, especially, but really these last three. That’ll be the next journey, trying to go out there and get 25.”
With 125.5 career sacks, Garrett now ranks second for most sacks through nine seasons since 1982 and has surpassed Reggie White for the most by any player under 30.
