All in all, focusing all your attention on Myles Garrett might not be the worst idea.
However, the Cleveland Browns superstar feels the Pittsburgh Steelers tried their best to stop him, ultimately leading to another loss and another missed opportunity to capture the AFC North title.
After the Browns' 13–6 victory over their division rivals, Garrett told reporters that he believed the Steelers were more focused on stopping him from breaking the NFL single-season sack record than winning the game.
“In some ways I feel like they were more worried about keeping me away from Aaron (Rogers) than they were about winning.” He said. “And I think that’s what got them. So they have to face Baltimore next week.”
Garrett is on pace for 22 sacks in 17 games this season and is 0.5 sacks away from tying Michael Strahan (2001 Giants) and TJ Watt (2021 Steelers) with 22.5 sacks each.
Against Pittsburgh, he went unsacked despite Rodgers being under pressure most of the game and being sacked by safety Grant Delpit and safety Alex Wright. He finished the match with one tackle.
And while he'll have to contend with the record in Week 18 against the Cincinnati Bengals, he's still pleased with how he was able to contribute and use his strength against Pittsburgh.
“They kind of had the same mentality that the Packers did (in Week 3) – we'll just throw everything at him and see if we can put together the effort to win without it.” Garrett said. “Of course they’ll throw faster when I’m in line. … They did a little bit of everything. I kind of expected this. I know they didn't want me to be the one to break it for them.”
With the loss, the Steelers (9-7) will have to prepare for a Week 18 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens (8-8) for the AFC North crown and a postseason berth.
