With Cleveland Browns star Myles Garrett closing in on history, the Cincinnati Bengals aren’t framing the moment as anything unusual.
Ahead of the season finale, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor made it clear that slowing Garrett isn’t a special adjustment tied to records or milestones. It’s been the foundation of every game plan against the Browns.
“You think about 95 in your head every second of every week you’re playing the Cleveland Browns. You gotta be ready for him,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said. “Every run, every pass, every screen, every naked. It all has 95 in mind. And our plan has never been any differently. You want to limit his effectiveness, and he makes as much of an impact on a game as any player in the NFL, period.”
Garrett sits at 22 sacks. He is a half-sack shy of tying the NFL single-season record, which is held jointly by Michael Strahan and TJ Watt.
Browns DE Myles Garrett Called Out Steelers
Garrett went without a sack against the Pittsburgh Steelers. But he made a significant impact on the game, with the Steelers going to great lengths to limit his ability to get to quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
“To an extent, I feel like they were more worried about keeping me away from Aaron than getting the win,” Garrett said after beating the Steelers 13-6. “I think that’s what came back to bite them.”
Taylor pushed back on that notion.
“I don’t agree with that,” Taylor said. “I think every team goes in there with Myles Garrett on every single play, ‘What are we going to do to limit him?’ And so I think I’ve heard that a couple times about Pittsburgh was just trying to win the game. And the way to do that is you have to limit Myles Garrett’s effectiveness.”
Browns, Bengals Looking to Finish on Good Note
Like the Browns, it’s been a challenging season for Cincinnati, which enters the matchup at 6–10 and officially out of the playoff race. Still, Sunday’s finale carries meaning for both teams as they look to close the year on a positive note.
“I want to see us finish on the note that we’ve had at the end of the season here,” Taylor said. “Again, I’ve got a lot of confidence in the offensive line. They’re up for the task, whether it’s against the Browns’ defensive line or anybody. I’ve seen that from them.”
Cleveland boasts the NFL’s No. 2-ranked defense, but the Browns know they’ll be tested by a Cincinnati offense led by Joe Burrow.
“It’s a huge challenge every week in this league, but certainly when you’re going up against Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, multiple tight ends, and Chase Brown, who’s a great running back,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said. “Each week presents its own challenges, but this is a unit that’s playing—if not the highest—at one of the highest levels offensively. We’ll always try to put our guys in position to make plays, but ultimately it comes down to their players versus our players.”
The Bengals are a 7.5-point favorite for the Week 18 matchup.
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