Aaron Rodgers has been sacked more times than any player in NFL history — 596 times as of Sunday. But on Sunday, he was determined not to fall victim to one specific, noteworthy sack from one particular, well-known linebacker, Myles Garrett, who fell just one sack shy of the single-season record.
Rodgers avoided becoming a Garrett trophy, but that was all the Steelers had to lose in a tight and dirty 13-6 loss to the Browns. The loss denied Pittsburgh its first division title since 2020 and set up an all-or-nothing AFC North battle with Baltimore in Week 18.
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From a Cleveland perspective, Garrett’s pursuit of the sack record is the only truly compelling element of the latest Turnpike rivalry. Yes, Cleveland has had great success at home against Pittsburgh recently — the Browns are 5-1-1 against the Steelers in their last seven home games — but the Browns’ season has been over for a few weeks. Sunday’s game is about Garrett and pride, and another look at quarterback Shaddell Sanders.
The Steelers have more at stake — specifically a division title — and are more than happy to take advantage of Sanders’ uncertainty and poor decision-making. While Sanders threw the ball well in poor conditions early in the game to give Cleveland a 10-0 lead, the Steelers stifled the ensuing drive with two poor pass interceptions.
Pittsburgh’s problem is Rodgers and the Steelers’ inability to capitalize on the Browns’ self-inflicted injuries. In the first three-plus quarters, the Steelers could only make two field goals. Sanders’ two interceptions led to zero points for Pittsburgh. Against Cleveland’s league-leading pass defense, Rodgers was limited to 168 yards, 58 of which came on a late, desperation drive as the Browns forced the Steelers’ ground game to the turf.
Down four points with 2:16 left in the game, the Steelers went on offense, which is, in theory, why they brought Rodgers to Pittsburgh. After all, the man has pulled it off at the last minute many times in his career. But Rodgers didn’t look comfortable in the pocket on his first attempt at a game-winning drive, incompleteing four straight passes and fumbled the ball down downfield.
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Cleveland turned a short field into a field goal, forcing Rodgers to run the length of the court to tie the game in 1:40. In this final sprint, Rodgers finally looked like the Rodgers he had always been before, driving all the way from Pittsburgh to the Cleveland 10 with 32 seconds left in the game. But with both the game and the division title at stake, the Steelers couldn’t get the deal done.
Pittsburgh must now host Baltimore with the AFC North title at stake.
