The Browns are a mess.
But that has nothing to do with Myles Garrett’s play on the field. Cleveland’s All-Pro passer remains one of the best defenders of his generation and is in the midst of another stellar season. On Sunday, he reached the NFL for the first time.
Garrett sacked Miami Dolphins quarterback Tyler Huntley twice on Sunday. His second increased his season total to 14 to tie him for the NFL lead with Cincinnati’s Trey Hendrickson.
It was also his fourth straight season with 14+ sacks, making him the first player in NFL history to achieve this feat. Reggie White didn’t. Bruce Smith didn’t. Julius Peppers didn’t do it. Kevin Greene didn’t do it.
Sunday’s two sacks bring Garrett’s career total to 102.5 in seven seasons. He reached that total on his 29th birthday and projects to finish among the league’s all-time leaders (Smith with 200 is No. 1) if he stays healthy. He has now reached double-digit sacks in seven straight seasons.
Unfortunately for the Browns, his prowess did not translate into success. With Dorian Thompson-Robinson at quarterback, Cleveland failed to score a touchdown on Sunday and lost, 20-3 to a Dolphins team playing without Tua Tagovailoa and Jaylen Waddle. The Browns fell to 3-13 and are in the midst of their sixth losing campaign in eight seasons since they drafted Garrett No. 1 overall.
Garrett, of course, can’t do much with just one player. As he continues to attack the record books, Browns fans can only hope that the Browns don’t completely waste their prime.