Steelers Now
Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor had an interesting reaction to Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett making NFL history.
Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett made NFL history in Week 18, recording his 23rd sack of the season and breaking the league’s single-season sack record. However, Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor was not so happy with how things transpired.
Trailing 17-12 with about five minutes left in the game, the refs stopped the game to allow Garrett and his teammates to celebrate the moment — something Taylor was apparently never told was going to happen if and when Garrett broke the record.
“There’s five minutes left in our season. We’re playing for our lives here, and I was never told that we were going to stop the game, and in a critical moment like that,” Taylor told reporters after the game. “The refs said that they made a decision that they were going to stop the game, and they said they did it as quickly as possible. I didn’t feel that. We didn’t sub. We’re trying to be on the ball and go and play with tempo, and the umpire just held the ball and we couldn’t do anything.”
#Bengals HC Zac Taylor was not happy that the refs stopped the game after Myles Garrett’s record-breaking sack. He said he was never told they would do that beforehand.
“We’re playing for our lives here. … In a critical moment like that… we were trying to be on the ball and… https://t.co/6FsTBHZu3u pic.twitter.com/xbc8r7tHJG
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 4, 2026
It may seem like a bit of an odd reaction to some as the outcome of the game didn’t mean anything at all from a postseason perspective. Both the Browns and Bengals entered the game already being eliminated from the playoffs.
However, Taylor seems to believe the game could still mean something outside of the 2025 season.
Taylor could be on the hot seat after the Bengals failed to meet expectations once again, finishing the season with a 6-11 record and failing to make the playoffs for the third straight year. That was with quarterback Joe Burrow sidelined for much of the season with an injury, though.
Either way, it’s safe to assume the Bengals weren’t happy to be the ones to allow Garrett to make NFL history against them. The Steelers were able to hold Garrett to zero sacks a week ago, despite losing 13-6, but unfortunately, the same could not be said for the Bengals this week.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Bengals HC Has Odd Reaction to Myles Garrett Breaking Single-Season Sack Record
