Cleveland Browns star Myles Garrett entered Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills in pursuit of the NFL’s single-season sack record, needing just one to tie the mark, and he nearly got what he needed in the first half.
Garrett and rookie teammate Mason Graham both pursued Bills QB Josh Allen, chasing Allen back to near his own end zone before the reigning MVP went down for a loss.
While Garrett and Graham were both in pursuit, Graham was initially credited with the sack — and Garrett, who didn’t celebrate, seemed to know immediately that it wasn’t his moment.
Here’s a look at the play that nearly gave Garrett a share of the single-season sack record.
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Myles Garrett and Mason Graham chased down Allen late in the second quarter on Sunday, forcing a massive 22-yard loss that brought the Bills back to their own one-yard line.
While Garrett was certainly a factor, pressuring Allen, the Bills quarterback appeared to go down on his own as he tried to avoid a safety, and it was Graham who touched him first and received credit for a full sack at first.
In the second half, however, Garrett was retroactively awarded a half-sack on the play. While it wasn’t enough to tie the record, it did bring Garrett to 22 sacks on the season, bringing him within a half-sack of tying the record.
Here’s a closer look at the end of the play:
Garrett seemed to know the rules well, as he was satisfied with the play but didn’t celebrate like someone who believed he had just tied an NFL record. About an hour later, a ruling did bring him closer to the record.
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Because Allen was tackled behind the line of scrimmage — in this case, 22 yards behind the line of scrimmage — the play is a sack, by definition.
While Allen appeared to go down without being touched at the end of the play, whether because he tripped over himself or because he wanted to avoid a safety, the play becomes a sack once a defender touches him. Graham touched Allen first, ensuring the play was dead and receiving credit for the sack.
The sack ruling ultimately comes down to the official scorer’s judgement call. In this case, the official scorer went back and determined Graham and Garrett were both partly responsible for bringing Allen down and credited each with a half-sack.
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Myles Garrett is well-positioned to tie or break the single-season sack record, as he needs just a half-sack to tie the mark held by Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt or a full sack to break the record.
Garrett entered Sunday averaging 1.54 sacks per game this season, and that pace would easily be enough to break the record if he can stay on it over the final two games of the Browns’ season.
