Even Steelers fans will side with Myles Garrett on this dismal Pittsburgh plan

Congratulations are in order for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who prevented Cleveland Browns defender Myles Garrett from setting the sack record on Sunday. While the Steelers ultimately lost to a Browns team that now has just four wins, it’s clear they didn’t want Garrett to get the record.

So, Pittsburgh has that consolation prize as their season hangs in the balance with a winner-take-all game against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 18.

Following Sunday’s game, Garrett called out the Steelers for very clearly being more focused on him not getting a sack than trying to win the game. The lock for Defensive Player of the Year spoke to media members about Pittsburgh's obvious game plan.

“They were more worried about keeping me away from Aaron (Rodgers) than getting the win. That’s what came back to bite them.”

The Pittsburgh Steelers are being criticized for a cautious game plan against Myles Garrett

Garrett wasn’t the only person to make this observation. Throughout the game, several people pointed out that Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh offense were playing like they just didn’t want Garrett to get a sack. That resulted in everything being quick and short, and most importantly, the Steelers only scoring two field goals.

Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin argued after that game that Garrett’s record opportunity had nothing to do with the offensive game plan, explaining that the Steelers did what they normally do against the game wrecker.

While Garrett was limited to just one tackle and one quarterback hit, his fingerprints were all over the game. Whether intentional or not, from Pittsburgh, Garrett’s presence muted the offense.

Now, after fumbling a golden opportunity to secure the division against a bad team and rest the veteran-heavy roster in Week 18, the Steelers will be playing Baltimore in a game with everything on the line. The winner will be the AFC North champions and go to the postseason. The losing team will head into an offseason that will certainly be full of questions and possibly significant change.

Pittsburgh has to make sure it’s the team that’s preparing for the wild card game next week, and not the offseason.