While the Bengals are looking to get their only three-game win streak of the season, Garrett is looking to pounce on Joe Burrow for the single-season sack record.
The Cincinnati Bengals achieved back-to-back wins for the first time since Weeks 1 and 2 in a 37-14 win over the Arizona Cardinals. Star quarterback Joe Burrow, after winning the AFC Offensive Player of the Week in Week 16, threw for 305 yards and two touchdowns with a passer rating of 129.1.
While the 6-10 Bengals don’t have much to play for in Week 18, the game is highly anticipated. This is not because Cincinnati is playing a playoff team, as one may think; instead, it faces the 4-12 Cleveland Browns. The reason for the anticipation, though, is that superstar Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett is just 1 sack away from breaking the single-season sack record in NFL history.
Cleveland Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett
© Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Ahead of the Bengals Week 18 matchup, head coach Zac Taylor gave significant praise to the opposing defensive end.
“He’s the best defensive player on Planet Earth,” said Taylor to the media. “It’s all hands on deck. [I] have as much respect for him as any player we’ve ever gone against … He’s an absolute nightmare, so no, I don’t enjoy one second of preparing for him.”
The immense praise for Garrett is warranted; he has been selected First-Team All-Pro four times, a Pro Bowler seven times, and won Defensive Player of the Year in 2023. While the former No. 1 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft has never led the league in sacks, he is assuredly going to do it this year, as he leads by 5.5 sacks with one game remaining.
As much attention will be directed towards Garrett to prevent him from obtaining the record, the Bengals still need to maintain focus on winning the game. The consequences of assigning too much attention to his presence can be detrimental to the team’s overall success, as shown by the Pittsburgh Steelers, who lost 13-6 to Cleveland in Week 17.
Another thing to be watching for in this game is Ja’Marr Chase seeking his career reception record. Last season, Chase won the Triple Crown and obtained 127 receptions to set a new career-high in a season. This year, the five-time Pro Bowler has 117 receptions with just the Week 18 game remaining. While the former No. 5 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft already told reporters he doesn’t think he will do it, Chase has achieved 10 receptions in a game 16 times through his five-year career.