Josh Allen has been compared to Pro Football Hall of Famer Brett Favre due to his arm strength and ability to run with the ball despite the high risks at times.
Myles Garrett hopes Allen will draw another similarity to Favre as quarterbacks who were sacked to set the single-season sacks record.
The Cleveland Browns All-Pro pass rusher goes into Sunday's game against the Buffalo Bills with 21 1/2 sacks and needs 1 1/2 sacks to pass Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Strahan and Pittsburgh's T.J. Watt for the record.
Garrett, who has recorded a sack in eight straight games, said on Friday that it would be special if the record came against the reigning NFL MVP.
“Absolutely. I mean, he’s a gunslinger himself, so he’s the kind of guy that, guess you would say, Mike got those years ago," Garrett said. "I think it’s a bit of a funny comparison because those guys have similar styles, and, you know, me and Mike have been compared before, but, yeah, it would mean a lot to go against him.
“Yeah, I mean, the guy’s unbelievable and what he can do at the quarterback position and with the ball, in general. There’s no one like him, so it’ll be a fun matchup."
Strahan surpassed Mark Gastineau's mark of 22 sacks in 1984 late in the fourth quarter of the Giants 2001 season finale against Green Bay. Favre went down to the ground as Strahan was approaching to set the mark. Watt tied the record during the final game in 2021 at Baltimore by taking down Ravens QB Tyler Huntley. Sacks became an official NFL statistic in 1982.
Allen is already on the list as one of 51 players Garrett has sacked in his nine-year career. The two have faced each other twice, with Garrett recording a sack during a 2022 game.
Allen said on Wednesday he had not thought about being the quarterback that would get Garrett the record.
“I do like highlight tapes, but I don’t like being a part of other people’s highlight tapes,” Allen added. “His motor is higher than really anybody else that you’ll ever play. He can beat you with speed and power. I mean he’s just the all-around football player.”
According to Next Gen Stats, Garrett has converted 33.6% of his pressures into sacks, the second-highest rate by a defender with at least 50 pressures since 2018. Watt’s pressure to sack rate was 34.6% when he tied Strahan's mark in 2021.
Garrett is averaging a sack every 17.3 pass rushes. At a pace of 1 1/2 sacks per game, he could finish the season with 26 sacks, which is one more than the goal he set at the beginning of the season and has written on his right wrist tape.
Garrett has lined up on the right edge on 81.5% of his snaps, with 17 1/2 sacks coming from that alignment. Buffalo left tackle Dion Dawkins has allowed four sacks this season and his 7.7% pressure rate allowed is 10th-lowest among left tackles.
Dawkins sounded prepared for the challenge when he appeared on the “Bussin’ With The Boys” podcast, hosted by former NFL players Will Compton and Taylor Lewan.
“Sometimes you have to play the Grim Reaper. The world sees it, there ain’t no hiding from it,” Dawkins said about the matchup. “Games like this show who you are and what type of player you are. We have scheme and a plan in place. Hopefully the plan is executed at its highest level because Myles is coming for that sack title and I’m here to stop it.”
Bills right tackle Spencer Brown said the important thing in preparing for Garrett is “don’t do anything outside your own shell.”
Garrett has been chip-blocked on 26.7% of his pass rush snaps, the second-highest rate among edge rushers. The Bills have the third-lowest rate of using chip blocks at 17.5%.
Allen has been sacked 33 times, tied for sixth most in the league. That is 19 more than last year and five short of his 2019 career high.
Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz said he and the players on defense have been on record watch the past four weeks after Garrett was at 18 sacks after a victory at Las Vegas on Nov. 23. Garrett set a franchise record with five sacks on Oct. 26 at New England.
Schwartz said if Garrett wants to get the record against the Bills, the Browns will need to contain Buffalo's run game, which is averaging a league-high 158.5 yards per game. James Cook is second in the NFL with 1,415 yards rushing and has at least 100 yards from scrimmage in 11 games this season.
“It’s up to us defensively, both individually and scheme and all 11, to force teams to be able to have to drop back and pass, which would help Myles, right? If Buffalo comes out and runs it 60 times, you’re not going to get any sacks. If he gets a lot of opportunities, his success rate is pretty high and, you know, we’re a pretty good pass rush team, so I like those odds," Schwartz said.
Even if Garrett sets the record, it will come in the midst of another disappointing season for the Browns. At 3-11, it is the fifth time that Garrett has been on a team with double-digit losses.
Cleveland hosts Pittsburgh on Dec. 28 before ending the season at Cincinnati on Jan. 4.
“I want to get it in front of the home fans. Most of all, I want to get the win," Garrett said. "I don’t want it to be some emotional conflict between, you know, me getting it and we’re getting our tails whooped or you know, we’re down at the end of the game. I want to be able to share a joyous moment for everybody.”
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Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) holds onto the ball between New England Patriots defensive tackle Christian Barmore (90) and linebacker Harold Landry III (2) during the first half of an NFL football game in Foxborough, Mass., Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
STATESVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Federal investigators are trying to figure out why a business jet carrying retired NASCAR driver Greg Biffle and six others tried to return to a North Carolina airport just after takeoff but plowed into light poles and trees short of the runway, killing everyone on board.
The Cessna C550 erupted into a large fire when it hit the ground Thursday after first striking light towers and then a tree line about a third of a mile (550 meters) from the airport's runway.
It had departed Statesville Regional Airport, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) north of Charlotte, but crashed less than 10 minutes later while trying to return and land, authorities said.
Flight records indicate the plane was registered to a company run by Biffle. Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board were at the airport, attempting to determine the cause of the crash and why the plane had returned to the airport in drizzle and cloudy conditions.
Investigators recovered the cockpit voice recorder, which could provide important clues about what happened. They were not aware of any emergency calls from the jet, NTSB member Michael Graham said at a Friday news conference.
There were three pilots on board. Federal Aviation Administration records show Biffle was rated to fly helicopters, and single- and multi-engine planes. Also on board was pilot Dennis Dutton, Dutton's son, Jack — who had a private pilot’s license for single-engine planes — and Biffle's friend Craig Wadsworth.
Biffle's wife, Cristina, and children Ryder, 5, and Emma, 14, were also killed in the crash, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol said.
Cristina Biffle's mother told People magazine that her daughter sent her a text message saying, “We’re in trouble," before she didn't hear from her again.
Federal investigators on Friday didn't have answers yet about the crew.
Dennis Dutton was licensed and rated to fly this model of plane, but even then, he was supposed to fly with a co-pilot. Even though Biffle was rated to fly a multi-engine plane, he wasn’t listed as qualified to fly this particular jet or be a second officer. Dutton’s son, Jack, also had a pilot’s license but was only rated for single-engine planes.
“There is nobody else that has a second-in-command type rating in the airplane. So there’s a question on the crew,” aviation safety expert John Cox said.
The plane’s speed and altitude fluctuated significantly during the brief flight, and its path was consistent with a flight crew that experienced an issue and needed to return quickly, said former NTSB and FAA crash investigator Jeff Guzzetti.
At one point, the plane quickly soared from 1,800 feet (550 meters) up to 4,000 feet (1,220 meters) before descending again. Just before the crash, it was only a couple of hundred feet off the ground.
“One thing is certain: They were low. They were too low to make a safe landing on that runway,” Guzzetti said.
It’s not clear why the pilots didn’t make an emergency call. It’s possible they were too busy trying to control the plane and dealing with the problem. But Cox said it’s also possible that the problem they encountered wasn’t considered an emergency. And the pilots may not have made it a priority to make a radio call with no tower at the airport.
Biffle, 55, won more than 50 races across NASCAR’s three circuits, including 19 at the Cup Series level. He also won the Trucks Series championship in 2000 and the Xfinity Series title in 2002.
In 2024, Biffle was honored for his humanitarian efforts after Hurricane Helene struck the U.S., even using his personal helicopter to deliver aid to flooded, remote western North Carolina.
A memorial with flowers sprouted up Friday by Biffle's marble star in his hometown of Mooresville, honoring him as a member of the North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame.
Steve Miller dropped by to pay his respects. He met Biffle at a huge party after he was inducted in October. He told Biffle he hoped the racecar driver could help knock an item off his bucket list — taking a flight in a helicopter.
“Come knock on my door, I’ll take you up," Miller recalled Biffle telling him. "Never happened.”
Cessna Citations like the one that crashed Thursday are known as reliable, easy-to-fly jets. While the plane is in flight, one pilot is at the controls while the other pilot is the monitoring pilot, Cox said.
Roughly 1,000 of these 550 series jets have been made, and they have a very good safety record. “What accidents have occurred in this type were mostly due to very poor pilot decisions,” Guzzetti said.
The Statesville airport will remain closed at least through Saturday as the NTSB performs its investigation, officials said.
Funk reported from Omaha, Nebraska. Associated Press writers Allen G. Breed; Jenna Fryer in Charlotte, North Carolina; and Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed to this story.
Nicole O'Healy, left, leaves flowers at the NC Auto Racing Walk of Fame for Greg Biffle, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Mooresville, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)
A supporter brings flowers to lay at the tribute at the NC Auto Racing Walk of Fame for Greg Biffle, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Mooresville, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)
National Transportation Safety Board member Michael Graham, right, speaks at a media briefing on the fatal plane crash that killed former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle and his family, while NTSB investigator Dan Baker listens on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Statesville, N.C. (AP Photo/Gary D. Robertson)
National Transportation Safety Board member Michael Graham speaks at a media briefing Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Statesville, N.C., on the fatal plane crash that killed former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle and his family. (AP Photo/Gary D. Robertson)
Flowers and cards are displayed at the NC Auto Racing Walk of Fame for Greg Biffle, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Mooresville, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)
Supporters gather at the tribute next to the NC Auto Racing Walk of Fame for Greg Biffle, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Mooresville, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)
Flowers are displayed at the NC Auto Racing Walk of Fame for Greg Biffle, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Mooresville, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)
FILE - Former driver Greg Biffle waves to fans prior to a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Darlington Raceway, Aug. 31, 2025, in Darlington, S.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley, File)
First responders tend to the scene of a reported plane crash at a regional airport in Statesville, N.C., Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)
FILE - Greg Biffle celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race at Kansas Speedway on Sunday, Oct. 3, 2010, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner, File)
First responders tend to the scene of a reported plane crash at a regional airport in Statesville, N.C., Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)
FILE - Greg Biffle smiles along pit row during qualifying for Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Friday, Aug. 31, 2012, in Hampton, Ga. (AP Photo/David Tulis, File)
