Another sack would break an all-time NFL record for Myles Garrett, but head coach Mike Tomlin has a plan to nip it in the bud. It is not just the sack record that is at stake as the Cleveland Browns welcome the Pittsburgh Steelers tomorrow. Stopping Garrett and winning would all but confirm the Steelers’ playoff chances, too.

“We’re going to do all the things that teams do in one-dimensional circumstances to help. But it’s not something that he has not seen, not only this year but over the course of his career,” Tomlin said on Keys to the Game. “He’s got 22 sacks. I’d imagine the vast majority of those are against the very schematic concepts that we’re going to choose to deploy to help Dylan (Cook).”

With 22 sacks so far this season, the 29-year-old has two more games left to break the single-season sack record set by Michael Strahan in 2001 and tied by T.J. Watt in 2021. However, it appears that head coach Mike Tomlin is not looking forward to wishing the DE good luck.

“We’re not acting like we’re inventing the wheel,” Tomlin continued. “We better minimize those moments. We better stay on schedule, we better not be in third and long a whole bunch. That’s the first way you help them, is to stay out of those circumstances.”

Back in October, the Steelers played well under this Tomlin playbook. They showed they have an answer for Cleveland’s biggest weapon. Against a Browns defense built on pressure, Pittsburgh’s offense stayed clean, not allowing a single sack while keeping the pocket intact. The contrast was stark, as the Steelers’ defense dropped Cleveland’s quarterback Dillon Gabriel six times. In fact, this led to a stunning revelation about how Garrett has yet to sack Aaron Rodgers even once.

Time will tell if Rodgers will appear on Garrett’s highlight reel. The defensive end has 13 career sacks in 15 games against the Steelers. He also has five sacks in his last two matchups. However, none of them have been against Rodgers. While he just needs half a sack more to tie the all-time NFL record, Garrett said that it would be “special” to break the record against the Steelers’ quarterback.

Myles Garrett on breaking the sack record against Aaron Rodgers

If history is any indication, there is a chance that Garrett will not be able to achieve NFL history against Aaron Rodgers. If the Steelers secure their playoff berth, head coach Mike Tomlin could decide to play backup quarterback Mason Rudolph. However, if Garrett does break the record playing against Rodgers, it will be something truly special.

“It’d be special. He’s legendary himself, and it’s a legendary record I’m here chasing,” Garrett said when asked Friday about breaking the record. “That’d be a great one to put a picture on the wall with.”

The Steelers will qualify for the playoffs if the Green Bay Packers win against the Baltimore Ravens. If that happens, Tomlin could decide to play backup Mason Rudolph. In the 2019 matchup between the Browns and the Steelers, Rudolph and Garrett were involved in a fight. However, the defensive end stated that it made “no difference” whether he broke the record against Rodgers or Rudolph.

“I don’t think there’s a lot of history between the two of us,” Garrett said Friday when asked about Rudolph. “But whether I get it against him or I get it against Aaron makes no difference to me, as long as it gets got.”

The Cleveland Browns have been out of the playoff race for quite some time now. However, the match against the Steelers could help Myles Garrett break the record,

something he tried to achieve against Josh Allen. The Browns will also play against the Cincinnati Bengals, while the Steelers will face the Baltimore Ravens in the final regular-season game.

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