Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett made history in Week 8, but the milestones couldn’t mask the team’s mounting frustrations. In Sunday’s 32-13 loss to the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium, Garrett recorded a career-high five sacks, breaking the NFL record for most sacks by a player before turning 30. His 108.5th sack surpassed Hall of Famer Reggie White’s total, with Garrett still more than two months away from his 30th birthday.
This season, Garrett has already reached 10 sacks, stretching his streak of eight consecutive seasons with double-digit sacks, a tie for the second-longest streak in NFL history.
Regardless of Garrett’s dominance, Cleveland lost the game. Garrett, visibly frustrated on the sidelines, tossing his helmet and ranting in the fourth quarter, was blunt in his postgame remarks.
“It doesn’t get any easier each week,” Garrett said when asked about not having any offensive help to complement their defense (h/t Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team).
“I’d throw the whole performance away for a win,” he said when asked about his five-sack performance.
The Patriots outscored the Browns 23-6 in the second half, causing Cleveland to lose ground early. Cleveland led 7-3 after an opening drive touchdown pass from rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel to tight end Harold Fannin Jr. Gabriel added a second touchdown to David Njoku, but also threw his first two interceptions of the season, both of which directly led to New England scores and shifted momentum.
Garrett kept the pressure on in the first half, including two red-zone sacks that forced the Patriots into field goals instead of touchdowns. In the third quarter, however, New England pulled away, scoring 21 points on a combination of big plays from quarterback Drake Maye, running back TreVeyon Henderson, and receiver Mack Hollins.
Linebacker Robert Spillane contributed with an interception that set up another New England touchdown, and Garrett’s sack on Maye couldn’t prevent the Patriots from ultimately reaching the end zone.
The Browns enter their bye week with a 2-6 record, and will return to action against the New York Jets on Nov. 8 at MetLife Stadium.
