Daniel OyefusiCloseDaniel OyefusiESPNDaniel Oyefusi covers the Cleveland Browns for ESPN. Prior to ESPN, he covered the Miami Dolphins for the Miami Herald, as well as the Baltimore Ravens for The Baltimore Sun.Follow on XJeff LegwoldCloseJeff LegwoldESPN Senior WriterJeff Legwold covers the Denver Broncos at ESPN. He has covered the Broncos for more than 20 years and also assists with NFL draft coverage, joining ESPN in 2013. He has been a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Board of Selectors since 1999, too. Jeff previously covered the Pittsburgh Steelers, Buffalo Bills and Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans at previous stops prior to ESPN.Follow on XDec 28, 2025, 09:11 PM ET
Where things stand for Garrett (22 sacks through 16 games)
Where things stand for the Broncos (64 sacks through 16 games)
Week 13: at Washington Commanders (27-26 overtime win)
Since entering the NFL as the No. 1 pick in the 2017 draft, Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett has perennially been one of the league’s best players. And since the 2025 season started, the Denver Broncos have been among the league’s best teams at getting after opposing quarterbacks.
Garrett has recorded a career-high 22 sacks in 16 games. With one game remaining in the regular season, Garrett is one sack away from breaking the single-season record of 22.5 that is shared by Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Strahan and current Pittsburgh Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt.
Garrett’s 22 sacks are more than one team has this season (the San Francisco 49ers). The 2023 NFL Defensive Player of the Year (and overwhelming favorite to win the award this season), Garrett has turned in a potentially historic season, even with the Browns’ continued struggles on offense and the franchise (4-12) guaranteed its seventh losing season since he was drafted.
In February, Garrett requested a trade in hopes of landing with a contending team. In March, he recommitted to the organization with a then-record-setting extension that averages $40 million per year. Ten months later, Garrett, who turns 30 on Dec. 29, is on the verge of smashing the record that Strahan set in 2001 and Watt equaled in 2021.
Meanwhile, the Broncos have 64 sacks in 16 games, which means they’ll need a big finale to tie or break the single-season team record of 72, set by the Chicago Bears in 1984. The Broncos have five players with four or more sacks. Edge rusher Nik Bonitto leads the way with 12.5, followed by edge Jonathon Cooper (8) and defensive tackles John Franklin-Myers (7.5) and Zach Allen (6.5).
Key stats and trends on Garrett’s sack-happy season: Garrett is the 11th player (12th instance) to record more than 20 sacks in a season since the stat became official in 1982.
What we’re hearing on his season: When asked Sunday after the win against Pittsburgh if he is still confident that he will set a new mark, Garrett said, “Absolutely. Why shouldn’t I be? … Four more quarters, 60 more minutes. However you want to draw it up, it’ll get done.”
What Garrett needs to do to stay on pace: He needs one sack in the final game to break the single-season record. Garrett had two sacks in his first matchup against Cincinnati in Week 1.
Garrett’s performance: He did not record a sack, but he finished the game with one tackle and a quarterback hit. Garrett also recorded three quarterback pressures and came close to Aaron Rodgers on a handful of plays before the Steelers’ quarterback was able to get rid of the ball.
Garrett’s performance: He recorded a half-sack to increase his season total to 22, one shy of breaking the single-season record.
Garrett’s performance: He recorded 1.5 sacks to increase his season total to 21.5, one shy of tying the single-season record.
Garrett’s performance: Garrett became the 13th player to record 20 sacks in a season when he got to Tennessee’s Cam Ward in the second quarter.
Garrett’s performance: He extended his NFL-leading sacks to total 19 by taking down 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy in the fourth quarter. The takedown of Purdy marked the sixth straight game Garrett has recorded a sack.
Garrett’s performance: Garrett’s three-sack game headlined a 10-sack performance for the Browns’ swarming pass rush, giving him his career high and bettering the franchise record he previously established in 2021 and 2022.
“I won’t try to delay [breaking the record], but I want it to come in a win,” Garrett said after the game.
Garrett’s performance: Garrett’s four sacks tied an NFL record, giving him 10 sacks over a three-game span. He also became the first player in league history to record at least 12 sacks in six consecutive seasons — breaking a tie with Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor — and the fourth player in league history to log four sacks in multiple games in a season.
Garrett’s performance: Garrett added another sack, giving him the second-most sacks (11) by a Browns player after 10 weeks — he recorded 13 sacks through the first 10 weeks of the 2021 season.
Garrett entered the Browns’ bye with 10 sacks, tied with the New York Giants’ Brian Burns for the most in the NFL. Despite trade rumors and speculation surrounding Garrett, who has a no-trade clause, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter ahead of the Nov. 4 trade deadline that there is “no chance” the Browns consider dealing Garrett.
Garrett’s performance: In the most impressive single-game performance in his career and Browns history, Garrett registered five sacks. Garrett also surpassed Hall of Famer Reggie White (108 sacks) for the most sacks by a player under the age of 30 since 1982.
However, the performance was diminished by another lopsided defeat, as Garrett sulked on the bench in the game’s final minutes.
Garrett’s performance: He ended his three-game drought, registering one sack as the Browns also snapped a three-game losing streak.
Garrett’s performance: For the third straight game, Garrett didn’t record a sack, sparking him to call for a change to the defensive game plan.
“At the end of the day, offenses’ sole game plan for the most part is how to stop 95,” Garrett said days later. “And we have to do something to change that, to make adjustments to get me matchups just like other edge rushers around the league, so I can have that same kind of effect, because I feel like I’m that kind of player.”
Garrett’s performance: He was held without a sack for the second consecutive game, as well as a season-low 6.3% pressure rate.
Garrett’s performance: He was held without a sack for the first time this season. He still accounted for five pressures and two quarterback hits.
Garrett’s performance: He recorded only a half-sack as the Browns secured their first victory of the season, but he was still impactful. Garrett recorded multiple pressures in a game for the 94th time in his career, breaking a tie with Watt for the second most since ESPN began tracking the stat in 2006.
Garrett’s performance: The veteran followed up his season debut with a 1.5-sack performance against the Ravens and quarterback Lamar Jackson. Garrett, though, was in no mood to reflect on his individual game after a blowout loss that he called “embarrassing.”
Garrett’s performance: Garrett began his march toward history with a two-sack performance against the Bengals and Joe Burrow, the quarterback he has taken down the most in his career (11 sacks). It marked Garrett’s 23rd career game with multiple sacks.
Key stats and trends from the Broncos’ sack-happy season: Heading into this weekend, the Chargers’ Justin Herbert was the third-most sacked quarterback in the league. Herbert has been sacked 49 times this season — only the Raiders’ Geno Smith and Titans rookie Cam Ward have been sacked more.
What the Broncos need to do to tie or set the record: The Broncos set a franchise record on Thursday but need eight sacks in Week 18 to tie the league record (nine to break it). While Denver has had six games this season with at least five sacks, the only game this season when it has had more than six was Oct. 12 at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, when it had nine against the Jets.
How did the Broncos do? Facing No. 3 quarterback Chris Oladokun, who has some ability as a runner in scramble situations, Broncos coach Sean Payton said the Broncos “couldn’t be rushing for sacks. … We had to keep him in the pocket.” The Broncos finished with one sack with that approach, as Jonah Elliss and Dondrea Tillman combined for a sack in the third quarter.
How did the Broncos do? It took nearly 40 minutes for the Broncos to get their first sack of the game, with Elliss finally getting to Jordan Love with five minutes left in the third quarter. It was the first of three in the game for the Broncos, who finished with 15 quarterback hits. The Broncos have not been held without a sack in any game this season.
Broncos’ performance: The Broncos sacked Raiders quarterbacks Geno Smith and Kenny Pickett a combined four times to push their season total to 55. Nik Bonitto had two sacks to give him 12.5 for the season. He was only one away from his single-season best of 13.5 sacks, which he set last season en route to Pro Bowl and second-team All Pro honors. Malcolm Roach and Franklin-Myers each added a sack.
Broncos’ performance: The Commanders made it clear early that they weren’t going to give the Broncos many chances to sack Marcus Mariota. The ball came out early and the Commanders used bigger personnel groupings to keep the Broncos’ base defense on the field more than most opponents have. The Broncos still had two sacks — one by Bonitto and another by Tillman — to push their season total to 51.
In what might be the most remarkable stat, defensive tackle Zach Allen exited the bye week as the league leader in quarterback hits with 30, three more than sack leader Myles Garrett. The Broncos’ 49 sacks through 11 games kept them on a record pace and is the most a team has had through 11 games since the 2000 New Orleans Saints. Those Saints also had 49 sacks and finished with 66 in 16 games.
Broncos’ performance: Denver sacked the Texans’ quarterbacks four times — C.J. Stroud left the game with a concussion and was relieved by Davis Mills — and held Houston without a touchdown. It moved the Broncos to 40 sacks after nine games, maintaining their record pace and separating them from the next-best team — the Lions — by 12 sacks.