Browns’ Myles Garrett is thinking about when, not if, he will break the NFL sack record

Myles Garrett is not thinking about if he can break the NFL’s single-season sack record.

The Cleveland Browns All-Pro pass rusher is convinced it’s a matter of when.

Garrett leads the league with 18 sacks and needs five in Cleveland’s final six games to surpass the 22 1/2 by Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Strahan, who did it in 2001 with the New York Giants, and Pittsburgh’s T.J. Watt, who tied it in 2021.

“I don’t even think about it as a want — I just think about something that I’m going to knock down,” Garrett said Friday as the Browns prepare to host the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. “It’s already been written in my mind that it’s going just how far I’m going to take it. So, just going to go out there and do what I do, and whatever number I end up at.”

Garrett had four sacks in last weekend’s 24-10 win over the Las Vegas Raiders and was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week. He has 14 sacks over the last five games, surpassing Strahan’s 12 1/2 in 2001 for most in that span since stats became an official stat in 1982.

His 18 sacks are also a career high and team record. His previous mark was 16 in 2021 and ’22.

Garrett also knows how many sacks he wants to end up with at the end of the season. He told reporters, “It’s written on my tape, so if y’all fortunate enough to see it, then you all will know.”

Associated Press photos of Garrett from Cleveland’s Nov. 9 game against the New York Jets and last week against the Raiders show the number 25 written on Garrett’s right wrist tape.

Aside from Garrett’s elite pass rushing, defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz and coach Kevin Stefanski have extolled his ability as a run defender. He is second in the league with nine tackles for loss on run plays.

As Schwartz noted: “A tackle for a loss for 4 yards on first down or a sack for 4 yards on first down — it affects the game pretty much the exact same way.”

Garrett leads the league with 26 total tackles for loss.

“Yeah, I want to be remembered as one of the very best at the position, and that includes being well-rounded, in the run and pass,” he said. “I know the record for TFL’s is 39 and I feel like I can go and challenge that — that’s not out of reach either. As much as people want to see me break the sack record, I think there are other things out there which I want to achieve, and I think will help the team win.”

Garrett and the Browns will face a 49ers offensive line that has done a solid job protecting the quarterback. Brock Purdy, who has played in only four games due to a turf toe injury, has been sacked only three times.

Garrett will also being going against San Francisco left tackle Trent Williams, a three-time All-Pro selection.

Williams was asked if he has lost any sleep over the matchup and replied: “No, not yet, but I’m sure I will. I lied, yeah I have. He can do everything. He’s one of the best to ever play and he has no weaknesses.”

“I think the thing that gets overlooked in this game is the respect that players have for each other. And when they’re on the field, they respect talent, they respect effort, they respect consistency and things like that,” Schwartz said. “Both of those players have done that over their career. I’ve gone against Trent Williams a long time, might be the best — if not the best left tackle, one of the very best left tackles that this league has seen since he’s been in the league.”

Besides Purdy, Garrett will look to contain 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey, who leads the league with 1,581 scrimmage yards.

Purdy was sacked three times when the Browns beat the 49ers 19-17 in 2023. Garrett didn’t have a sack in that game, but will be looking to add Purdy as the 49th player he has sacked.

“I mean, it’s a challenge every week. You know, there’s going to be a variety of different looks, variety of different schemes, whether it’s slides or chips or turn wide, all kinds of things. So, I do think they’re playing at a high level all across the board,” Garrett said. “But we got to do what we do. We can’t worry too much about them or any numbers. We just have to make the plays that we can make. And if he gets the ball off quick, then we have to knock it down and if we can keep points off the board and take an early lead, then we can kind of pin our ears back like we did last week.”

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl