Football is a game of numbers, but honestly, some numbers just feel heavier than others. On January 4, 2026, the air in Cincinnati was biting, the kind of cold that gets into your joints and stays there. For most of the fans at Paycor Stadium, it was just another Week 18 matchup between the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals. But for Myles Garrett, it was the final hurdle in a season-long chase for immortality.
When Garrett exploded off the line with a ridiculous 0.23-second get-off, it wasn't just another play. It was the Myles Garrett Joe Burrow sack that officially moved the needle to 23.0 for the 2025 season.
He didn't just beat the Bengals; he beat the history books. He surged past Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt, who had been sitting on that 22.5 throne like it was a permanent ceiling. It turns out, the ceiling was made of glass, and Garrett had a sledgehammer.
The Anatomy of the Record-Breaker
If you watch the replay, it’s almost scary how fast it happens. Garrett is lined up across from Orlando Brown Jr., a massive human being by any standard. But Garrett makes him look like he's standing in quicksand.
He used a "chop and dip" move that has basically become his signature over the last nine years. He got so low to the ground that it looked like he was going to tip over, but instead, he just turned the corner and erased the space between him and Burrow.
Burrow never really had a chance. By the time he hit the top of his drop, Garrett was already wrapping his arms around him.
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By the Numbers: Why This Sack Was Different
- The Get-Off: 0.23 seconds. That is statistically the fastest get-off on any sack recorded in the entire 2025 NFL season.
- The Victim: Joe Burrow became the most-sacked quarterback in Myles Garrett's career with this hit. That was his 12th time taking Burrow to the turf, breaking a tie he had with Lamar Jackson.
- The Timing: 5:04 remaining in the fourth quarter. Garrett had gone the previous two games without a full sack, leading to a massive amount of tension heading into the finale.
Did Joe Burrow "Give" Him the Record?
Social media went into a bit of a meltdown after the play. There’s always someone who wants to put an asterisk on greatness, right? Some fans pointed out that Burrow seemed to go down a bit quickly, drawing comparisons to the infamous Brett Favre "slide" for Michael Strahan back in 2001.
Honestly? That’s a stretch.
Burrow is a competitor. Before the game, he told reporters he wasn't going to "overcompensate" either way. He wasn't going to hand it over, but he also wasn't going to play stupidly. If a sack is the "best of the bad outcomes" for a play, he's going to take the hit rather than throw a blind interception.
When a 272-pound freak of nature is barreling at you in under 2.5 seconds, "taking a dive" is usually just called "self-preservation." Garrett earned every bit of that 23rd sack.
The One-Sided Rivalry in the Trenches
It’s kinda wild when you look at the history between these two. Garrett has sacked Burrow in 12 of their 14 career matchups. That is a level of dominance you rarely see between two elite players in the same division.
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Usually, offensive coordinators find a way to scheme a guy like Garrett out of the game. They'll chip him with a tight end, keep a running back in to block, or just run the ball away from him.
The Bengals tried all of that.
But throughout the 2025 season, Garrett was seeing double and triple teams on nearly 30% of his snaps. He still led the league in tackles for loss (33) and quarterback hits (39). The fact that he saved the record-breaking moment for Burrow—the guy he’s seen "looking up at him from the grass" more than anyone else—felt like a scripted ending to a movie.
Garrett's Historic 2025 Run
The road to 23 wasn't a slow build; it was a series of explosions.
- Week 1: Started the season with 2.0 sacks on Burrow in Cleveland.
- The Mid-Season Surge: At one point, he recorded 14 sacks in a five-game span. That’s a record in itself.
- The Drought: He hit a wall in December, struggling with a few nagging injuries and teams just flat-out refusing to let him breathe.
- The Finale: The 23rd sack in Week 18 to clinch the all-time single-season lead.
What This Means for the Hall of Fame
At 30 years old, Myles Garrett has already put together a resume that most defensive ends couldn't finish in twenty years. He's the only player in NFL history with six consecutive seasons of at least 12 sacks. He has 125.5 career sacks.
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He’s not just a "great player" anymore. He's in that tier with Reggie White and Bruce Smith.
The most impressive part? He did it while the Browns were struggling through a 5-12 season. Usually, when a team is losing, the defense loses its edge. Garrett did the opposite. He became the focal point, the only reason people were tuning in to watch Cleveland by the time January rolled around.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Analysts
If you're looking to understand why the Myles Garrett Joe Burrow sack matters beyond just a stat line, look at how the game is changing.
- Watch the "Get-Off": If you want to see if a pass rusher is elite, stop looking at the tackle. Look at the ball. Garrett is often moving before the offensive tackle has even finished his first step.
- Evaluate the "Bend": Most guys Garrett's size have to go through a blocker. He goes around them. His ability to lean at a 45-degree angle while running full speed is a biomechanical outlier.
- Context Matters: When comparing this to Strahan’s 22.5 or Watt’s 22.5, remember that Garrett did this in a 17-game season. While some might use that to devalue it, the level of athleticism in offensive linemen today is significantly higher than it was in 2001.
The next step for anyone following this rivalry is to keep an eye on the 2026 off-season. The Bengals have to address that left tackle spot again. Orlando Brown Jr. is a Pro Bowl-level player, but Garrett has his number. For the Browns, the challenge is building a team that doesn't waste the prime of the greatest defender the franchise has ever seen.
Garrett has already set his sights on 25 sacks for next year. Based on what we saw in Cincinnati, you'd be a fool to bet against him.