Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (95) looks to sack in the first quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Huntington Bank Field. Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

Browns' Myles Garrett shares what 'came back to bite' Steelers

By Steve DelVecchio | Last updated Dec 28, 2025 6:22 PM ET

The Cleveland Browns successfully played spoiler in their game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, and star pass-rusher Myles Garrett had some interesting thoughts about what led to the shocking outcome.

The Browns' defense was dominant in their team's 13-6 win over the Steelers, despite Myles Garrett not recording a sack. Garrett, who has 22 sacks on the season and is one sack away from breaking the single-season NFL record, had just one tackle on Sunday.

Following the game, Garrett told reporters he felt the Steelers were more focused on finding ways to stop him from hitting Aaron Rodgers than they were on trying to win the game.

"To an extent, I feel like they were more worried about keeping me away from Aaron than getting the win. I think that's what came back to bite them," Garrett said. "They'll have to fight it out with Baltimore next week, but I'm just proud of the guys for fighting and getting this win."

#Browns DE Myles Garrett on today's game vs. Pittsburgh: “To an extent, they were more worried about keeping me away from Aaron (Rodgers) than getting the win. That’s what came back to bite them.”

(️ @AshNoelleTV)pic.twitter.com/5hAkQCa1rJ https://t.co/yt5FtCY7Sd
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) December 28, 2025

Myles Garrett is in pursuit of NFL history

Garrett was at one point on pace to shatter the single-season NFL record of 22.5 sacks, which is shared by Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt. He now needs a half-sack to tie the record or at least one sack and become the new record holder in Cleveland's season finale against the Cincinnati Bengals next week.

It is highly unlikely that the Steelers were concerned about preventing Garrett from breaking the record on their watch, but it would make sense if they were hyper-focused on keeping the All-Pro away from Rodgers. There is no defensive player in the NFL who makes life more difficult on opposing quarterbacks than Garrett, so most teams try to devise a play to slow him down.

As it turned out, the Browns did not need Garrett to record a sack to prevent Rodgers and company from finding the end zone. The Steelers were only able to muster a pair of field goals in the loss.

The AFC North is on the line in Week 18

With the Steelers having lost to the Browns and the Baltimore Ravens having beaten the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night, the AFC North title is now officially on the line in Week 18.

Pittsburgh fell to 9-7 on Sunday. The Ravens improved to 9-7 with their 41-24 road win over Green Bay. Sunday's win was only the fourth of the season for the Browns, so it goes without saying that most people expected the Steelers to take care of business. They were unable to do that, and their season now hangs in the balance as a result.

Steve DelVecchio

Steve is a veteran writer who has covered a variety of sports and pop culture topics for more than 15 years. In addition to Yardbarker, his work has been featured on prominent digital publications including Larry Brown Sports, MSN and FOX Sports. The UConn graduate has published more than 40,000 stories and is one of the most experienced trending news writers in the country

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