Browns star Myles Garrett breaks NFL’s single-season record for sacks

AP photo by Joshua A. Bickel / Myles Garrett (95) celebrates with fellow Cleveland Browns defensive end Adin Huntington (98) after sacking Joe Burrow of the host Cincinnati Bengals in Sunday's AFC North Division matchup. It was the regular-season finale for both teams. AP photo by Joshua A. Bickel / Myles Garrett (95) celebrates with fellow Cleveland Browns defensive end Adin Huntington (98) after sacking Joe Burrow of the host Cincinnati Bengals in Sunday's AFC North Division matchup. It was the regular-season finale for both teams.

By JOE REEDY / The Associated Press January 4, 2026 6 min read

CINCINNATI — The night before Myles Garrett got his 23rd sack to break the NFL’s single-season record, he had a nightmare that he fell short of the mark.

Garrett instead made his sweetest dreams come true.

The star pass rusher for the Cleveland Browns took down Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow with 5:09 remaining in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s AFC North Division matchup at Paycor Stadium to finish his extraordinary 2025 season with 23 sacks.

“Despair. I was scared as hell,” Garrett said of the nightmare. “We got to deny fate, whatever it is, we got to make it happen. And I just went into it and still had the utmost confidence in myself and my preparation and in my guys.”

The record came in a victory that concluded an otherwise difficult season for the Browns. Andre Szmyt kicked a 49-yard field goal as time expired as Cleveland rallied past Cincinnati 20-18.