Mike Tomlin gets honest on Myles Garrett sack record accusations of altering Steelers game plan in 13-6 loss vs. Browns

Mike Tomlin addressed the rumor going around his team's performance in the 13-6 loss to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. A section of the fans believed the Pittsburgh Steelers were more concerned about stopping Myles Garrett from claiming the sack record, thereby altering the game plan.

Garrett, the standout Browns defensive end, entered the game with 22 sacks, one sack away from the NFL single-season record. The current record is 22.5 sacks, held by Michael Strahan (2001) and T.J. Watt (2021), with Garrett pushing to secure the record on Sunday.

In his postgame press conference, Mike Tomlin denied that Pittsburgh concentrated largely on stopping Myles Garrett from getting the record rather than winning. The Steelers did stop the defensive end from getting a sack in the encounter, limiting him to just one tackle.

“We didn't do anything against Myles that we don't normally do against Myles. The sack record is irrelevant," Tomlin said. "We gotta minimize him if we want to injure their victory. We did the same thing last time we played them.

Looking to predict NFL playoff Scenarios? Try our NFL Playoff Predictor for real-time simulations and stay ahead of the game!

“Don't think he had any sacks in that game, either. So we didn't take a different approach because of the gravity of the record; it's just standard business when you're playing these guys and him.”

Mike Tomlin offers his view on the job ahead

Mike Tomlin shared his opinion on the disappointing loss to the Cleveland Browns in his postgame press conference on Sunday. The loss places the Steelers on the brink of missing the playoffs, but the coach said something about the preparedness of his team.

“We certainly didn't make enough plays today, and they did,” Tomlin said. “Gotta compliment those guys on an outstanding winning effort, and it's back to work for us. We've been here before, and so certainly we got a big week ahead of us, in the big game in Acrisure next weekend.”

While it's a loss to one of the worst teams in the league, Mike Tomlin doesn't believe his team had a poor outing at Huntington Bank Stadium.

“I didn't think we played poorly," Tomlin said. “We just didn't make enough plays. I thought they played well. I thought the game was kind of unfolding in the way you would anticipate, but we never made that signature play that kind of got us over the hump."

Following the loss that stopped them from claiming the AFC North title, the Pittsburgh Steelers will welcome the Baltimore Ravens to Acrisure Stadium in Week 18. The crucial encounter in the regular season finale decides who wins the division.

Edited by Farouk Yusuf