Garrett Reaches 23 Sacks as Browns Finish With Last-Second Win

CINCINNATI — Myles Garrett reached 23 sacks for the season, and Andre Szmyt supplied the final points as the Browns beat Cincinnati 20–18 on January 4.

Szmyt made a 49-yard field goal as time expired, turning a potential closing defeat into Cleveland's second consecutive division win. The Browns finished the regular season 5–12, a record that kept the result from changing the larger disappointment of the campaign but did not diminish the precision required on the final kick.

Garrett's sack of Joe Burrow with 5:14 left in the fourth quarter established a new NFL single-season sack record. The milestone gave Cleveland's finale significance beyond its place in the standings. An individual season defined by pressure ended with Garrett moving past the previous standard rather than merely matching it.

The two decisive contributions came from different parts of the team. Garrett delivered the defensive achievement; Szmyt completed the result. For a Browns team that had spent much of the year falling short, the closing moments offered both an exceptional individual accomplishment and a concrete team win.

A record-setting sack total should not obscure the difference between individual excellence and a successful season. Cleveland's 12 losses remain the broader measure of its work. At the same time, the finale showed why Garrett's impact belongs in any honest account of the year, regardless of the team's place outside the postseason.

The Bengals were left with an 18-point afternoon and no chance to answer the final kick. Cleveland left with a road win, consecutive successes against division opponents and a sack record now attached to Garrett's name. The season did not end where the Browns wanted, but its last play and its most important individual milestone both belonged to them.