Steelers Now
Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett had a team-record five sacks, passing Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt on the NFL’s all-time sack list.
Garrett sacked New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye five times, one of the lone bright spots in an otherwise miserable day for the Browns. That now gives him 112.5 sacks in his career, one half ahead of Watt, whose Steelers play on Sunday Night Football against the Green Bay Packers.
Both selected in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft, the AFC North rivals have been compared to one another throughout their career. Each had seven sacks in their rookie years and Garret was ahead by a half at the end of the 2018 season, but then Watt pulled away in a big way from 2019-21.
After Watt reeled off back-to-back 20-sack seasons, including an NFL-record 22.5 in 2021, he was ahead of Garrett, 72 to 58.5. But Watt missed seven games due to injury in 2022 and was limited in effectiveness after his return, letting Garrett close the gap.
With 112.5 sacks, he is now 27th in NFL history in official sacks (since 1982), while Watt, Justin Houston and Chandler Jones move into a tie for 28th. Only Von Miller (133.5), Cameron Jordan (124) and Calais Campbell (113.5) have more among active players.
Before Sunday, Garrett had five sacks on the season. He will leap from a tie in 11th place to a tie with Brian Burns of the New York Giants for the NFL lead with 10 on the season. Watt has four entering Week 8, tied for 15th place.
Each player has been the NFL Defensive Player of the Year once, with Watt winning the award in 2021 and Garrett besting him in 2023, despite a nearly across-the-board statistical advantage for the Steelers linebacker.
The players have gone back and forth in terms of contracts, as well. After Garrett signed a contract worth $40 million early this offseason, Watt got the Steelers to a agree to a deal worth $41 million per year.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Myles Garrett Passes T.J. Watt on Career Sacks List
