Myles Garrett has accumulated exactly one playoff win over his professional career with the Cleveland Browns, holding an overall postseason record of 1-2. Despite establishing himself as one of the most dominant defensive forces in the National Football League and earning multiple All-Pro selections, team success in January has been difficult to secure for the franchise.
When fans look up his postseason resume, they usually want the exact breakdown of those games, his individual box scores, and how his playoff stats match up against his regular-season production. Let's break down every postseason appearance of his career so you get the complete picture without sorting through messy box scores.
Breaking Down Every Myles Garrett Postseason Game
The Cleveland Browns haven't made a regular habit of playing deep into January over the last few decades, but Garrett helped drag them into the tournament twice. Across those trips, he has played in three total playoff games.
The 2020 Wild Card Win Against Pittsburgh
The single postseason victory of Garrett's career happened on January 10, 2021, during the 2020 NFL season. The Browns traveled to Heinz Field to face their fierce division rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Cleveland jumped out to a shocking 28-0 lead in the first quarter and never looked back, winning by a final score of 48-37. For Garrett, it was a triumphant return after missing the game due to a COVID-19 protocol absence late in the regular season. In that wild card matchup, he recorded one solo tackle. While he didn't log a sack, the defense forced multiple turnovers that propelled the franchise to its first playoff win since the 1994 season.
The 2020 Divisional Round Against Kansas City
One week after the historic win in Pittsburgh, the Browns advanced to the AFC Divisional Round to play the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs on January 17, 2021.
The game went down to the wire, with Kansas City escaping a late comeback attempt to win 22-17 after quarterback Chad Henne sealed it with a late scramble. Garrett played a strong game upfront, tallying two solo tackles and one official sack for a loss of six yards against Patrick Mahomes. Despite his disruptive play, Cleveland fell short, dropping Garrett's playoff record to 1-1.
The 2023 Wild Card Loss Against Houston
Cleveland returned to the postseason following a stellar 2023 campaign anchored by another Defensive Player of the Year caliber season from Garrett. On January 13, 2024, the Browns matched up against the Houston Texans on the road.
The Texans' young offense capitalized on mistakes, and the Browns' defense struggled to contain rookie sensation C.J. Stroud, resulting in a 45-14 blowout loss. Garrett finished the game with two solo tackles and one assisted tackle, but he was held without a sack as Houston's quick-passing game neutralized his pass-rush abilities. That loss pushed his career postseason record down to 1-2.
Career Postseason Statistics At a Glance
To understand how Garrett performs when the lights shine brightest, looking at his cumulative playoff totals gives a clear view:
- Games Played: 3
- Record: 1-2
- Total Tackles: 6 (5 solo, 1 assisted)
- Sacks: 1.0
- Sack Yardage Lost: 6 yards
- Interceptions: 0
- Forced Fumbles: 0
These numbers look modest compared to his regular-season stats, but opponents typically game-plan explicitly around stopping him with double-teams, chip blocks, and quick releases.
Regular Season Dominance vs. Playoff Opportunities
Garrett's lack of a sprawling playoff resume is a product of team context rather than individual performance. Drafted first overall out of Texas A&M in the 2017 NFL Draft, he joined a franchise that was in the middle of a multi-year rebuilding project.
Over his career, according to Pro Football Reference, he has racked up double-digit sacks nearly every single year, earned multiple first-team All-Pro nods, and captured the Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Year award. You can track his historic trajectory and year-by-year defensive achievements through the NFL official player roster.
However, football is the ultimate team sport. Pass rushers, no matter how elite, rely on complementary offense, special teams, and overall roster health to secure deep playoff runs. Injuries to key starters—including quarterback Deshaun Watson—frequently derailed promising Cleveland seasons, limiting the number of January games Garrett has had the chance to play.
Common Misconceptions About Star Pass Rusher Postseasons
Casual fans often look at defensive stats in the playoffs and draw the wrong conclusions. Here are a few traps to avoid when evaluating a player like Garrett:
- Assuming zero sacks means a quiet game: Offensive coordinators slide protection schemes toward Garrett on every single snap. Even when he doesn't log a sack on the stat sheet, his presence forces quarterbacks to rush throws or alter play calls.
- Confusing individual awards with team wins: Defensive Player of the Year honors are regular-season awards. They don't guarantee that a roster has enough depth to navigate a grueling single-elimination tournament.
- Overvaluing small sample sizes: Three games is a tiny statistical window. One or two more playoff appearances could easily double or triple his career postseason totals.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Myles Garrett win a playoff game in college?
College football doesn't use a traditional NFL-style playoff bracket for the majority of Garrett's time at Texas A&M, though he did play in bowl games. He won the 2014 Texas Bowl with the Aggies against West Virginia, but modern College Football Playoff appearances did not overlap with his college career.
How many career sacks does Myles Garrett have overall?
While his postseason sack total sits at 1.0, his regular-season total features well over 90 career sacks, placing him among the most feared pass rushers of his generation. You can check current career leaderboards on ESPN NFL stats.
Has Myles Garrett ever played in a Super Bowl?
No. The closest he and the Browns came was reaching the AFC Divisional Round in the 2020 season, two games away from a Super Bowl appearance.
Why does Myles Garrett have so few playoff games?
The Cleveland Browns experienced lengthy playoff droughts for decades before Garrett was drafted. Even after turning the franchise around, securing consistent wild card and division titles in the hyper-competitive AFC North remains a massive weekly challenge.
