The Pittsburgh Steelers and Myles Garrett enter Week 17 with opposing goals. For Pittsburgh, it’s to secure its first AFC North title in five years. For Myles Garrett, it’s to break the NFL record for sacks in a season. The Steelers and Garrett have interesting and lengthy histories with each other, given that they have faced off twice a year since 2017.
Depending on what happens between the Packers and Ravens later today, the Steelers could have the AFC North wrapped up before Sunday. Regardless of what happens, the Steelers have to have a plan to slow down the NFL’s best defensive player. They’ve done it before, and they’ll have to do it again to come out with a win in Cleveland.
How Pittsburgh Slowed Garrett Down Before
Back in Week 6, the Steelers defeated the Browns 23-9 in Pittsburgh. A large reason why they won was that they kept Aaron Rodgers clean all game long. The Steelers as a whole surrendered just seven pressures the entire game, and Myles Garrett himself only had one pressure on 24 pass-rushing snaps. The Steelers had an excellent game plan to slow down Garrett that day. They got the ball extremely fast and rarely gave Myles any one-on-one opportunities. Pittsburgh also kept itself out of trouble by getting to 3rd and medium territory more often than not. Out of Pittsburgh’s 13 third-down tries, only five of them were from 3rd and 8 or longer.
Game script also played a factor, especially in the second half. Once Pittsburgh went up 23-6 early in the fourth quarter, Garrett had even fewer opportunities to rush the passer. The last big factor in slowing down Myles Garrett was, ironically enough, the success of Pittsburgh’s defense in that game. They harassed Dillon Gabriel all day long, sacking him six times and forcing 11 missed third-down conversions. Pittsburgh’s defense allowed its offense to take control and dictate the pace of the game.
What Has Changed for This Matchup
Unfortunately for the Steelers, it’ll be much harder to contain Myles Garrett this time around. They are without their starting left tackle, Broderick Jones, as well as his backup, Andrus Peat. And while Dylan Cook has performed admirably in his first two starts, there is no reason for leaving him in one-on-one opportunities against someone like Garrett. Granted, the Steelers rarely left Broderick Jones one-on-one against him in Week 6, so there’s not much of a reason to suspect they’ll leave Cook out to dry.
The Steelers have also struggled significantly more at stopping Garrett on the road than at home historically. In his career against the Steelers, Myles has had eight sacks in Cleveland versus five sacks in Pittsburgh. It gets even worse when looking at their latest matchups. Since 2023, Garrett has had five sacks in his last two home games vs the Steelers, compared to just one sack in his last three road games against them.
Lastly, the Steelers’ defense has changed since week six. T.J. Watt is out for the third straight game, and they may be missing some players in the secondary for this game. On top of that, the Browns are no longer starting Dillon Gabriel. Instead, they are starting Shedeur Sanders, a player who has shown much more potential and big-play ability than Gabriel has.
Packers vs Ravens Will Impact This Game
If the Packers defeat the Ravens tonight, the Steelers will secure the AFC North. And if that happens, the game plan for Pittsburgh could radically change. Many Steelers fans have suggested running the ball directly at Myles Garrett for the entire game just out of spite if the division title is secured before Sunday’s game. There are also rumors floating around that, regardless of the outcome of Saturday’s game, the Steelers will do everything in their power to prevent Garrett from getting the record, even if it means getting called for holding penalties.
While these outcomes are highly unlikely to take place, they aren’t impossible for the Steelers. It depends on how petty Mike Tomlin is. Myles Garrett and the Steelers have had bad blood for years, dating back to Garrett’s infamous helmet incident with Mason Rudolph. And if Rudolph gets snaps on Sunday, that sets up the possibility of Garrett breaking the sack record on Mason Rudolph. Tomlin could look at that as a potential detriment to his team, especially if emotions get high and the potential for a fight breaks out, which could lead to suspensions. It’s already happened this season with D.K. Metcalf, who’s suspended for Pittsburgh’s last two games of the regular season.
Whatever happens on Sunday, Garrett will still have one more opportunity to break the record against Cincinnati. The Steelers will also have another chance to clinch the AFC North in Week 18, even if they lose and Baltimore wins this week. Regardless of gameplan, whether it be traditional or unconventional, the Steelers will have their hands full with Myles. He’s the best defensive player in football and is having one of the greatest seasons a defender has ever had. And if the Steelers let Myles Garrett wreck the game, they would almost certainly lose it.