Myles Garrett is inching closer to the NFL all-time single-season sack record. With 21.5 sacks on the season, he needs just 1.5 more to pass Michael Strahan’s mark of 22.5. Today, Garrett’s Cleveland Browns are taking on the Buffalo Bills, but Josh Allen doesn’t want to be the quarterback Garrett breaks the record on.
Advertisement
Although Strahan set the sack record during the 2001-02 season, many have debated whether Brett Favre “took a dive” to help the defender secure the record. Most notably, the man who previously held it, Mark Gastineau, has been vehemently upset about Favre’s supposed dive and believes it is why he has not made the Hall of Fame. He even once confronted Favre about it during an awkward exchange at a fan event.
With this in mind, one has to wonder, will Allen take the fall for Garrett this Sunday so the defensive end can achieve the record today. Well, according to the Bills QB, that won’t be the case.
“I do like highlight tapes, but I don’t like being a part of other people’s highlight tapes,” Allen told the media with a smile while discussing Garrett’s impending record break.
It’s the kind of quote we’d expect from a competitor like Allen. Especially in a tight playoff race, he made it clear that he’ll do everything possible to avoid giving his opponent an advantage.
The QB later acknowledged how great the Browns’ pass rusher has been.
“He’s an absolutely tremendous football player. He’s one of the greatest of all time,” Allen said. “He’s a force to be reckoned with. We gotta be ready for everything he can throw at us. You have to be aware of where No. 95 is on the field at all times.”
As 10.5-point favorites, Allen and the Bills are looking to take care of business today. A win would clinch them a playoff spot as well, giving them their 7th playoff appearance in a row. It would be the most consecutive appearances in the postseason for Buffalo since they went to 6 in a row from 1988 to 1993.
Meanwhile, Garrett still has plenty of time to reach the all-time sack record if he can’t achieve it today. But betting on at least one sack from him would be pretty safe. In fact, he has recorded a sack in 8 straight games, which is tied for his longest career sack streak that he set in 2021.
All in all, it should be fun to watch Garrett chase after the record. Just don’t expect Allen to be handing over the record to him. We should see plenty of double-teams, chip blocks, and play actions moving away from Garrett today.
