Week 17 of the 2025 NFL season was loaded with playoff implications, high drama, and the weight of history—none more so than in Cleveland, where Myles Garrett’s pursuit of the league’s single-season sack record took center stage. The Cleveland Browns, already out of postseason contention, played host to the Pittsburgh Steelers at Huntington Bank Field on December 28, 2025. While the stakes for the Browns were largely about pride and individual milestones, the Steelers arrived with everything to play for: a win or tie would clinch the AFC North and simultaneously eliminate the Baltimore Ravens from the playoff hunt.
All eyes, however, were on Garrett. Entering the game, the Browns' defensive end had racked up 22 sacks, standing just half a sack shy of the NFL record jointly held by Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt. Garrett’s remarkable season had already seen him surpass Lawrence Taylor as the first player with at least 12 sacks in six consecutive seasons, and with 124.5 sacks in 132 games, he’d set a new benchmark for most sacks before turning 30, eclipsing the legendary Reggie White’s previous mark of 108. Only White, with 137, had more sacks in his first nine seasons.
Garrett’s quest for history was a headline-grabber, not just for Browns fans but for the entire football world. As he put it before the game, “(Rodgers) is legendary himself, and it’s a legendary record I’m here chasing. That’d be a great one to put a picture on the wall with.” The fact that he was seeking his first career sack against Aaron Rodgers—now quarterbacking the Steelers—only added intrigue. Garrett had faced Rodgers twice before, once earlier in the season and once in 2021 when Rodgers was with Green Bay, but had yet to bring him down.
The anticipation was palpable. Even the opposition acknowledged the magnitude of the moment. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin remarked, “We understand the gravity of what we’re going into and how they engineer victory and who’s significant in doing so. (Garrett) is at the doorstep of history, and so we certainly have respect for that.” The Browns’ faithful packed the stadium, hoping to witness a slice of NFL lore unfold.
Yet, as the game clock ticked down, Garrett’s name was notably absent from the sack column. His stat line read: one solo tackle in the first quarter, a quarterback hit in the second, and no tackles for loss or sacks. The Steelers’ offensive line, perhaps wary of the moment, executed their assignments with precision, and there were even reports that Pittsburgh’s players had been advised to take a penalty rather than allow Garrett to break the record at their expense—a testament to the record’s significance and the rivalry’s intensity.
Meanwhile, the game itself was a defensive slugfest, fitting for the frigid Cleveland weather and the AFC North’s reputation. Rookie Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders struggled mightily against Mike Tomlin’s defense, tossing two interceptions—his second coming in the fourth quarter courtesy of safety Kyle Dugger, whom the Patriots had traded to Pittsburgh earlier in the season. Still, the Browns found enough grit to grind out a 13-6 victory, denying the Steelers a division-clinching celebration on their field.
The result complicated the playoff picture. With the loss, Pittsburgh’s path to the AFC North crown and the postseason became less certain, while Baltimore’s faint hopes remained alive for at least another week. The Browns’ win, curiously, also hurt their own chances of landing a top quarterback prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft, but it set up a tantalizing Week 18 showdown: a potential “win or go home” clash between the Ravens and Steelers, with everything on the line.
Off the field, the conversation around Garrett’s legacy continued. On Sunday morning, Browns legends Josh Cribbs and Eric Metcalf debated on Tailgate 19 whether Cleveland’s losing record was unfairly overshadowing Garrett’s greatness. The consensus? Individual brilliance deserves recognition, regardless of team fortunes. Garrett himself has always been mindful of his place among the all-time greats, saying, “That is something that I had in my mind coming into the league, being talked about among those greats. So, I just want to continue to just put myself into that conversation.”
Garrett’s chase for the sack record isn’t over. With one game remaining—on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals—he’ll have another shot at history. The numbers are tantalizing: at least half a sack in every game after the Browns’ first meeting with the Steelers in Week 6, five sacks in the Steelers’ previous two visits to Cleveland (both Browns wins), and a seven-sack cushion over the next best pass rusher, Brian Burns of the Giants. Yet, the record remains just out of reach for now.
Elsewhere around the NFL, Week 17’s action was equally dramatic. Zach Charbonnet powered the Carolina Panthers with two rushing touchdowns and 110 yards on 18 carries, keeping their NFC South title hopes alive. The Panthers and Buccaneers are now poised for a potential winner-take-all finale. In the AFC, the Broncos and Patriots are neck-and-neck for the No. 1 seed, while Houston and Indianapolis are battling for the final wild-card spot. Playoff fever has officially set in.
But in Cleveland, the story remains Myles Garrett. The city, the league, and football fans everywhere will be watching as the Browns close out their season in Cincinnati. Can Garrett finally claim the sack record that has eluded so many before him? One thing is certain: he’s already cemented his place among the NFL’s elite, and his pursuit of history has brought a season’s worth of excitement to a team and a city hungry for greatness.
As the Browns look ahead to their season finale, Garrett’s chase for immortality continues. The door to history remains open—if only just a crack.
