BEREA, Ohio — As Myles Garrett nears the NFL single-season sack record and NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors, he explained why he didn’t let up after signing his blockbuster $40 million-a-year extension in March.
“The money didn’t mean much to me,” he said. “It’s nice to have the security, having it guaranteed and not being out there and knowing that if I got hurt, there would be nothing for the rest of my career that they had to give me. And that’s kind of security for my family and the family I hope to have in the future. But it was always about achieving the potential that I knew I had and working together and to create something that would stand the test of time.”
While his primary goal this season was to win a Super Bowl, he also set his sights on his second NFL Defensive Player of the Year award, and the NFL single-season sack record, which is currently shared by Michael Strahan (2001) and T.J. Watt (2021) at 22.5.
Heading into Sunday’s game against the 9-4 Bears, Garrett has a team- and league-high 20 sacks, and needs three to shatter the record. It’s one of the lofty goals he set for himself as the No. 1 overall pick out of Texas A&M in 2017. He also leads the NFL with 31 tackles for a loss, eight shy of J.J. Watt’s NFL record of 39, set in 2012.
“Whether that’s team sacks and chasing that goal, or individual sacks, (it’s) knowing that there was still more in the tank and more that we could do and more that we could achieve,” Garrett said of his approach to this season. “And I don’t know if it’s my best rushing year as far as what I can do and what I have shown on the field, but statistically it has. It’s shown up with the work that we’ve all put in and I don’t find myself ever being complacent with anything I do. So there’s never going to be any time for me to take it easy or relax because I attack everything same.”
As he heads into Sunday’s game, he knows that Bears second-year quarterback Caleb Williams, the No. 1 overall pick in 2024, plans to prevent him from setting the NFL record against him, like 2025 No. 1 pick Cam Ward did last week. The Titans held Garrett to one sack by running the ball 35 times for 184 yards.
“Of course, they want to keep me off the quarterback,” Garrett said. “Everyone does, and you know it’s more than just me to worry about. Like I’ve said, first you’ve got to stop the run and earn those opportunities to rush the passer and make them even want to do that. He can move it pretty well, and they have a great rushing game and they have a great play-action game to move in the pocket and let him use his legs.
“So we’ve got to get him out of that if we want to have a chance to see him drop back. I have a lot of respect for how elusive he is and everything that they do when it comes to him having the ball in his hands.”
Williams, who’s led the Bears to five fourth-quarter comeback victories this season, tied for most by any QB in the NFL, has been sacked 20 times this season for 21st in the NFL.
“He’s got a great peripheral (vision),” Garrett said. “A lot of times it looks like his eyes are downfield and he spins out of a sack or he ducks out of one. So when you see a guy like that, it gives you a little bit of Lamar (Jackson), a little bit of Pat (Mahomes) as far as how he moves and how he navigates through the pocket. Just able to skip out unscathed and looking downfield, making those big plays and we’ve got to make them look a little bit more ordinary on Sunday.”
The Bears have a rookie left tackle in Ozzy Trapilo, their second-round pick out of Boston College, who will try to hold off Garrett. But they’ll provide Trapilo with some chipping help, and he also plays next to premier left guard Joe Thuney.
“He looks good,” Garrett said. “He’s real patient with his hands. He’s physical in the run and he’s integrated pretty well. Playing with Joe’s going to help boost any line and anyone next to him so it’s going to be a challenge but he’s got to make the most of the opportunity.”
The Bears will undoubtedly follow the Titans’ blueprint and run the ball a lot to keep Garrett at bay. But it’s also part of first-year head coach Ben Johnson’s DNA, with the Bears ranking second in the NFL with 152.6 yards per game. They use a two-headed monster of D’Andre Swift (173 carries for 837 yards and 5 TDs) and Kyle Monangai (135 carries for 648 yards and 5 TDs).
“They’re tough,” Garrett said. “Similar to Detroit, when you look at how they’re built and their running backs, how they move and how they attack downfield. Both are talented, they’re kind of built more like (David) Montgomery, but they run hard and they’re physical and they strain for extra yards and they keep on coming.”
The Bears’ prolific running game will give Garrett a chance to get closer to breaking Watt’s TFL mark.
“Some of my friends joke that TFLs are harder to get than sacks just because there’s no half TFLs,” he said. “You have to really bring them down yourself, and if anyone jumps on it, that’s just a tackle. They’re difficult. Loss of the down plays and loss of yards plays are just like a sack, and more often than not they’re going to be running the ball. So those plays have as much or a bigger impact than sacks. Sacks are glorified and they’re big plays and you’re making a play on the most valued player on the field. So I see the arguments for both, but we’re going to need both this Sunday.”
While Garrett aims for the record, his teammates are more than willing to do their part. Grant Delpit tried to hold up Ward for Garrett to take him down last week, and Alex Wright didn’t fight for his potential half-sack.
“Sacks are a team stat at end of day,” Garrett said. “As we talk about, four equals one. It’s four defensive linemen and we’re going against five different offensive linemen, and we couldn’t do it without working together and then getting blitzes, getting guys coming off the edge, going through the middle, occupying more blockers longer for the line to get one-on-ones, even getting the chipper off a little bit quicker.
“We’re appreciating the hard work and the execution that everyone has to have to even make a sack happen. And I’m very grateful for the teammates that I have and what they do for me.”
Did Wright make a convincing case to split Garrett’s 20th sack vs. the Titans?
“Hey, that’s with him and the NFL,” Garrett said. “I’m not going to fight it.”
Defensive line coach Jacques Cesaire noted that “we laugh in the room that, anybody that’s close to getting a sack, they better give it to Myles. But no, the guys really appreciate playing alongside him. You can see it. They’re all happy for him when he gets sacks and they’re all working together. Everybody wants to get one, right? Everybody wants to rush with Myles. Everybody wants to get out there on third down and get their opportunities.
“Myles can’t do what he’s doing unless everybody else is working to collapse the pocket, squeeze the pocket and help flush the quarterback either to Myles or step up so Myles can come underneath or one of those other guys get the sack. So it’s not something where everybody’s like, ‘Hey, hold the quarterback up for Myles.’ They’re all trying to get sacks too. We know Myles is going to win. Who else is going to win their one-on-one matchup or push the pocket enough where somebody gets a sack, not just Myles.”
If all goes as planned, they’ll all be part of the big record when he knocks it down.
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