The Steelers made sure Myles Garrett didn’t get the sack record in Week 17 and lost to the Browns because of it
The Cleveland Browns knocked off the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 17 of the 2025 NFL season despite not playing well themselves for three quarters of the game. Losing TE Harold Fannin Jr. after his touchdown in the 1st quarter hindered an already limited offense, while LB Carson Schwesinger was limited as he gutted out what seemed to be a couple of injuries this week.
QB Shedeur Sanders struggled for much of the game, including his biggest flaw rearing its head again, but the Browns beat their rival, something some fans are celebrating despite the loss of position in the 2026 NFL draft order.
In reality, the Steelers seemed so focused on DE Myles Garrett not getting the single-season sack record against them that they chose to lose the game instead of trying to run their full offense. At least that is what many, including former Cleveland players Joe Thomas and Andrew Hawkins, believe:
His former ThomaHawk co-host agreed:
The data also backs up that Pittsburgh played scared on Sunday:
On film, you can see QB Aaron Rodgers being mostly unwilling to go through his progressions, including late in the game when the Steelers could have tied it up with a chance to wrap up the AFC North in the process:
The Browns barely blitzed (current count is four), but Rodgers still didn’t even give the team a chance to get many pressures and wasn’t successful when pressure came either:
At the end of the game, Pro Football Focus had Rodgers’ Time To Throw metric at 2.02 seconds. How fast is that compared to other QBs?
(The first stat was from earlier in the game)
According to Sumer Sports, Rodgers had the fastest TTT metric of any regular starting quarterback this season at 2.50. He cut that already small number down by a fifth in Week 17 versus Cleveland and Pittsburgh’s offense paid for it.
To be fair, the Steelers were without WRs DK Metcalf and Calvin Austin III before losing TE Darnell Washington to a broken arm during the game. While those losses would impact any offense, it should have actually led Rodgers to spend more time going through his progressions instead of just locking into his top weapons and getting rid of the ball quickly.
In the end, Garrett and his chase for the record controlled the game and cost Pittsburgh a chance to lock up the AFC North. NFL draft guru Dane Brugler agreed with Hawkins and others that Rodgers and the Steelers had the wrong priority this week:
The Browns continued their recent dominance over Pittsburgh at home in Week 17, but the Steelers deserve a ton of blame for losing the way they did.
Do you agree that the Steelers cared more about Garrett’s sack record than winning the game and the division in Week 17? How else would you explain the data and film from their loss to the Browns?
Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below
Category: General Sports
