Former Browns blast Steelers for giving up the game instead of giving up a sack

The Cleveland Browns’ victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers by 13-6 on Sunday saw defensive end Myles Garrett finish the contest with zero sacks, keeping him still half a sack away from tying the NFL single season record which is currently shared by Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt at 22.5.

However, the Steelers were thoroughly criticized for the way they handled the game itself, lending to the belief that they were more preoccupied with keeping Garrett off quarterback Aaron Rodgers, than actually going out and winning the game.

Two former Browns took to social media blasting Pittsburgh for this apparent approach to Garrett and the potential sack record. With the loss, the Steelers let the chance to wrap up the AFC North, and with it a berth in the playoffs, slip by, and now they’ll have to win in Week 18 against the Baltimore Ravens to earn the division crown.

Hall of Fame offensive tackle Joe Thomas wrote “Sure seemed like the @steelers were happy to lose the game if it meant keeping @Flash_Garrett from setting the NFL single season sack record. SMH,” on his X.com account, referencing the fact that Garrett wasn’t able to establish a new NFL record.

Sure seemed like the @steelers were happy to lose the game if it meant keeping @Flash_Garrett from setting the NFL single season sack record. SMH
😒
— Joe Thomas (@joethomas73) December 28, 2025

Andrew Hawkins, a former wide receiver for Cleveland also expressed a similar opinion while underscoring the effect Garrett had on the game, writing “Myles Garrett has 0 sacks…. But absolutely had the biggest effect on the game because the Steelers decided that stopping him from getting the sack record was more important than playing offense.”

Myles Garrett has 0 sacks…. But absolutely had the biggest effect on the game because the Steelers decided that stopping him from getting the sack record was more important than playing offense.
— Andrew Hawkins (@Hawk) December 28, 2025

Former Browns defensive tackle Phil Taylor also weighed in on The Top Dawgs Show via the BIGPLAY Sports Network, stating that he's never seen anything quite like what the Steelers did on Sunday.

"The Steelers played just so Myles couldn't break a record against them. They'd rather lose in the fashion that they did than to let him get one sack." #DawgPound @PhilTaylor98 has NEVER seen a gameplan so focused on one player. 👀 pic.twitter.com/4xJYd47Mju
— The Top Dawgs Show (@TopDawgShow) December 31, 2025

Even Garrett himself seemed surprised at the Steelers strategy to counter him, explaining after the game that, "I mean, to an extent. I feel like they were more worried about keeping me away from Aaron [Rodgers] than getting the win, and I think that's what came back to bite him."

Garrett came into the Week 17 tilt at Huntington Bank Field with 22 sacks for the season, but wasn’t able to get to Rodgers in time to add another one. He left the game with a stat line of just one quarterback hit and one solo tackle. Yet, the Browns came out with their fourth victory of the year, and impeded a hated division rival from punching their ticket to the postseason in the process.

Before the game, a report during Fox Sports’ broadcast of the Browns vs. Bears game suggested that the Steelers had been instructed to do whatever it took to avoid giving up a sack to Garrett, including taking a penalty. Watt, co-owner of the current NFL record, is a player for Pittsburgh.

A couple of Steelers’ running backs had also discussed not giving up a sack to Garrett on a teammates podcast before the match.

However, Steelers’ head coach Mike Tomlin denied issuing any special orders regarding how to deal with Garrett for the game, stating “We didn't do anything against Myles that we don't normally do against Myles. The sack record is irrelevant. We gotta minimize him if we want to injure their victory. We did the same thing last time we played 'em. Don't think he had any sacks in that game, either. So we didn't take a different approach because of the gravity of the record; it's just standard business when you're playing these guys and him."