Myles Garrett continues to sit at the center of the league’s attention as the Cleveland defensive end pushes toward the single season sack record with 18 through 11 games.
His pace has already surpassed what Mark Gastineau produced in the same stretch during his 1984 campaign, and he is on track to challenge the 22.5 sacks set by Michael Strahan in 2001 and later matched by T. J. Watt.
Garrett’s recent surge has forced opponents to adjust well before facing him, including San Francisco, which heads into Week 13 after a win over Carolina.
When George Kittle heard Garrett’s name during a postgame interview, the tight end looked directly into the camera and said,
“Chill,” a small glimpse into the level of concern surrounding the matchup.
Garrett’s surge includes 13 sacks in his last four outings, with his latest three coming against Las Vegas. He has logged at least three sacks in three of his previous four games and needs five more across the final six contests to clear Michael Strahan’s long-standing record of 22.5.
His production has topped the 17.5 mark that Mark Gastineau posted in his team’s first 11 games in 1984, the year Gastineau reached 22. Only Lawrence Taylor has recorded more three sack games in a single season with four in 1986.
Even with this pace, Garrett still trails Reggie White’s start in 1987, when White had 19 sacks in his first 11 appearances and finished with 21 in 12 games.
Cleveland’s defensive anchor pushes toward a historic finish
Cleveland’s season has taken on a different tone due to the complete transformation Garrett has brought to the defense. His 18 sacks have arrived in a stretch where he has routinely overwhelmed front lines, including the three-sack effort against Geno Smith that helped the Browns beat Las Vegas.
He is closing in on the record while maintaining a pace rarely seen since the era of Mark Gastineau and Lawrence Taylor. Garrett’s push is clear in the numbers: at least three sacks in three of his last four contests and 13 across that run.
His chase has also highlighted how difficult it is to slow him down. San Francisco’s recent improvement up front has not gone unnoticed, but even that group knows the assignment changes when Garrett is across the line.
Cleveland has experienced one of its strongest defensive stretches in years, thanks in part to its star pass rusher consistently forcing protection shifts and creating pressure that alters games.
Garrett’s pursuit of the record remains the focal point of the Browns’ path through the final six contests, and every week has placed him deeper into a tier that only a few players have reached.
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