Aaron Rodgers has been sacked more times — 596, coming into Sunday — than any player in NFL history. But on Sunday, he was determined not to be a victim of one specific, notable sack from one specific, notable defender: Myles Garrett, just one sack away from the single-season record.
Rodgers avoided becoming a Garrett trophy, but that was about all that tipped in the Steelers’ favor in a tense, grimy 13-6 loss to the Browns. The result prevented Pittsburgh from clinching its first division title since 2020, and set up an all-or-nothing battle for the AFC North with Baltimore in Week 18.
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Throughout the game, Rodgers appeared to have one eye on Garrett on every play. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said after the game that Garrett’s chase of the record didn’t shape Pittsburgh’s game plan.
“We didn’t do anything against Myles that we don’t normally do against Myles. The sack record’s irrelevant. We’ve got to minimize him if we want to engineer victory,” Tomlin said. “We didn’t take a different approach because of the gravity of the record. It’s just standard business when you play these guys and him.”
From the Cleveland side, Garrett’s pursuit of the sack record was the only real compelling element of the latest installment of the Turnpike Rivalry. Yes, Cleveland has had tremendous success at home against Pittsburgh lately — the Browns are 5-1-1 against the Steelers in their last seven home games — but the Browns’ season has been over for weeks. Sunday’s game was about Garrett, and pride, and another look at Shedeur Sanders in the quarterback role.
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The Steelers had much more at stake — specifically, a division title — and were more than happy to take advantage of Sanders’ uncertainty and poor decision-making. While Sanders moved the ball well enough in wicked conditions early, staking Cleveland to a 10-0 lead, the Steelers snuffed out later drives with two interceptions of poorly thrown passes.
The problem for Pittsburgh was that Rodgers and the Steelers couldn’t take advantage of the Browns’ self-inflicted wounds. The Steelers got only two field goals through the first three-plus quarters. The two Sanders interceptions resulted in exactly zero points for Pittsburgh. Against Cleveland’s league-leading passing defense, Rodgers managed an anemic 168 yards, 58 of them coming in the final desperate drive, and the Browns were able to grind the Steelers’ ground game into the turf.
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With 2:16 remaining and down four points, the Steelers began a drive that, in theory, is why they brought Rodgers to Pittsburgh. The man has managed more than a few last-minute comebacks in his career, after all. But Rodgers, playing without No. 1 wideout DK Metcalf, never looked comfortable in the pocket on his first attempt at a game-winning drive, throwing four straight incomplete passes and turning the ball over on downs.
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Cleveland turned the short field into a field goal, forcing Rodgers to go the entire field in 1:40 just to tie the game. And on this final drive, Rodgers finally, briefly, looked like the Rodgers of old, marching Pittsburgh all the way down to the Cleveland 10 with 32 seconds remaining. But with the game, and a division title, on the line, the Steelers couldn’t close the deal, as they clearly missed Metcalf’s presence on the outside, something CBS broadcast analyst Tony Romo pointed out multiple times.
After the game, Rodgers appeared to jaw with Browns players and referees over a non-call of pass interference on the game’s final play, but by that point, the game was long over.
“Definitely interference,” Rodgers said after the game.
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Browns cornerback Denzel Ward, who shut down Rodgers and Marquez Valdes-Scantling on the final three plays of the game, was having none of that.
“I don’t know whose bright idea it was to try me for the game for three plays in a row,” Ward said, “but we was able to come through and get the win.”
“We never made that signature play that kind of got us over the hump,” Tomlin said. “That generally is the deciding factor in games like this, and we generally make them. We didn’t make them today.”
Rodgers finished 21-of-39 passing with 168 yards on the day. Sanders, meanwhile, was 17-of-23 passing for 186 yards, one touchdown and those two interceptions.
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Pittsburgh now faces Baltimore at home next Sunday night, with the AFC North title at stake.
“It’s back to work for us,” Tomlin said. “We’ve been here before. Certainly we’ve got a big week ahead of us. Big game in Acrisure next weekend.”
“Win or lose, that’s what you do. You move on to the next game,” Rodgers said. “I have full confidence we’ll go home and win next week.”
