CLEVELAND, Ohio — Myles Garrett is on the verge of NFL history, sitting at 21.5 sacks with three games remaining and needing just 1.5 more to break the single-season record of 22.5 set by Michael Strahan and matched by T.J. Watt.
Yet what should be a moment of unequivocal celebration for the Cleveland Browns has instead become a complicated narrative about individual excellence amid team failure.
“Is it going to be weird if it’s like, 21-3 and they stop the game to celebrate Myles Garrett? Is there any awkwardness there?” podcast host Dan Labbe wondered during Wednesday’s episode. “There’s just weird vibes all around this record. I think it just speaks to him having this incredible season and the team just not being able to do anything with it. It’s not turning into victories.”
The awkwardness stems from the stark contrast between Garrett’s dominance and the Browns’ dismal 3-11 record. For a franchise desperately seeking relevance, having an all-time great individual season occur during another lost year feels almost cruel.