Zac Taylor upset over game stoppage for Garrett sack milestone celebration
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Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor was unhappy that NFL officials stopped the game to celebrate Myles Garrett’s historic 23rd sack of the season in Sunday’s 20-18 loss to the Cleveland Browns.
Taylor was outraged by the stoppage with just over five minutes remaining late in the fourth quarter, and said after the game that he was never told game officials planned to stop the game if Garrett met his goal of becoming the NFL’s single-season sack leader.
Cleveland Browns linebacker Myles Garrett (95) sacks Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) in the fourth quarter at Paycor Stadium. The play set a new NFL single-season sack record by Garrett. (Joseph Maiorana/Imagn Images)
“We have 5 minutes left in our season. We are playing for our lives here and I was never told we were going to stop the game and at such a critical moment,” he told reporters after the match. “And the referees said they decided to stop the game and tried to do it as quickly as possible – I didn’t feel like it.”
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The Bengals were officially eliminated last month after losing 24-0 to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 15. Still, Taylor said the team played to win.
“We didn’t lose. We’re trying to stay on the ball and play with tempo and the referee held the ball so we couldn’t do anything. So I shout at Joe [Burrow] to get into the ball. “We haven’t subscribed, we’re going but we can’t play.”
Taylor said in a meeting with the referees before kick-off that he was “never informed” of his plans.
Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns is carried by teammates after a sack in the fourth quarter of a game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium on January 4, 2026 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
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“It wasn’t easy trying to get an answer. They just said that as a team we had decided to stop the game if something like this happened. I guess it didn’t matter when it happened, they were just going to stop the game and let it happen.”
“I was never informed about this. They never said a word.”
Garrett entered the game needing a sack to surpass the 22.5 mark shared by New York Giants great Michael Strahan and Pittsburgh Steelers star TJ Watt in 2021.
Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor speaks during a press conference following the NFL game against the Cleveland Browns on January 4, 2026 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)
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Minutes into the final game of the season, Garrett had his opportunity on first-and-10 with Burrow at the Browns’ 45-yard line.
“It was everything I expected. It was very difficult. I knew they were going to make it difficult,” Garrett said. “I don’t think I saw more than three singles on a true slump the entire game. And I knew that if it was, I had to capitalize on that moment. And the feeling couldn’t have been better.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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