BEREA, Ohio — Despite all the losing, the frustration and the helmet-slamming on the sidelines, Myles Garrett isn’t waving the white flag as the 2-7 Browns head into their rematch with the Ravens Sunday at Huntington Bank Field.
He headed into this season determined to lead the Browns to the Super Bowl, and until someone tells him they’ve been eliminated from playoff contention, he’s going to continue to leave it all out on the field.
“It’s an everyday thing,” he said of setting the tone. “You know, continue to have that standard. There’s no checking out. There’s no looking for somewhere to hide or surrendering. We still have a great opportunity to push ourselves to the playoffs if we do what we need to. We win out, there’s a big possibility with how it’s gone in the division that we could still be in this race.
“But you have to believe it. So just making sure the guys know and understand that and I’m putting in that same work with that same effort that we have from the very beginning of the year. You expect the guys to respond.”
With the Ravens at 4-5, the Browns would be playing for a chance to tie the Steelers with five victories had they not blown two games on special teams this season: the two missed kicks in the 17-16 loss to the Bengals in the opener, and the two kick returns for touchdowns last Sunday against the Jets. Despite all the offensive woes, the Browns would be 4-5 right now if not for those two meltdowns in the kicking game.
Their No. 2 defense in yards allowed is a major reason Garrett still believes the Browns have a chance to climb back into the playoff conversation. He’s also happy that the Browns didn’t make any drastic changes after the 27-20 loss to the Jets, such as parting ways with special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone after the two returns, or cutting defensive end Cam Thomas after he jumped offsides on fourth and 5 at the end of the game.
“Yeah, I mean showing that we’re all in this together and if we’re going to win, it’s not going to be by pulling pieces out of this,” Garrett said. “We’ll pull ourselves together and make the most out of this. We didn’t have the showing we wanted to, but it’s all about execution. Like I said, no one’s got the perfect call, but if we go out there and make it up in our minds that if we do what we need to, we’ll win. Well then it doesn’t matter what the call is, on offense, defense, special teams, we can make it happen.”
Specifically on Thomas, whom he defended immediately after the game, he’s thrilled he’s still standing.
“I’ve always been complimentary of Cam, especially person to person,” Garrett said. “I’d compare him to like (Kansas City Chiefs’ George) Karlaftis, always being in the right spot, always doing the right thing. Rushing well, just doing everything at a satisfactory level. He’s not absolutely elite in anything, but he’s really solid in everything he does. He studies the game, he knows where he’s supposed to be and what he’s supposed to do. Just being there and being someone you can kind of depend on.
“And so I’ve always been proud of his development, him asking for advice and help. Just the other day, him asking about a specific move, how I do it and in what situation, what’s the timing. He has a thirst for more and wanting to improve. Those kind of guys I want to be around and make that kind of contagious, that kind of attitude for the game.”
So focused is Garrett on winning that he hasn’t stopped to ponder the notion that he’s in the midst of arguably his best career season. Following his club-record five-sack outburst during the 32-13 loss to the Patriots, Garrett is tied for the league lead with 11.0 sacks, and is first with 17 tackles for a loss. He’s fourth in ESPN’s pass-rush win-rate at 22%, and he’s the No. 1-ranked defensive end with a 91.8 grade according to Pro Football Focus. He’s also tied for 15th with 36 pressures.
“I don’t even think about it like that,” Garrett said. “I feel like there’s still lots of plays out there to be made. There’s plays that I want back. I don’t necessarily regret (them), but I wish I would’ve been more prepared for or had a different plan for. But am I playing well? Absolutely. Can I be playing better? Yeah, and I want to do that.”
Not even the fact that Garrett has a chance to shatter the single-season sack record of 22.5 shared by Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt or the fact that he climbed firmly back into the conversation for NFL Defensive Player of the Year is enough to distract him from his team goals this season. The Browns charged him with stepping up as more of a team leader this season in the wake of his trade demand and $40 million-a-year extension, and he’s delivered.
“The main thing is winning,” he said. “However many I can get on the way to getting a win that’s more or less than the record, it doesn’t matter to me. Like I said, I would trade all the ones I had back against the Patriots to have a win. I don’t want to say that to be ungrateful because I was blessed to get that many. But it’s just not that deep to me. I want to go out there and have a good game. I feel like that’s what I can do.
“That’s what they brought me here for and I feel like that’s a way in which we can win — me going in and taking over,” he said. “So all things come to fruition and if some of my personal goals happen that’s great, but I want to go and continue to play after January. That’s the biggest goal.”
While Garrett has kept his gaze on the playoffs despite the fact it’s an enormous long shot, the Ravens have shined a light all week on how dominant the 2023 NFL Defensive Defensive Player of the Year is.
“It’s extremely important (to chip him),” Ravens three-time Pro Bowl tight end Mark Andrews said. “I think all 11 guys are going to be keying on that, and (Garrett) is not the only player on that defense that’s extremely good. So, obviously he’s one-of-one, probably [one of], if not, the best athlete of all time on defense, if not the best defensive end of all time. So, we need to be ready for him, but it’s really a big challenge for us all around.”
Coming from Andrews, the lofty praise hit home.
“Big-time player,” Garrett said. “I mean, I’ve seen him make a whole bunch of plays against us and he’ll go down as one of the very greats himself. So it means a lot. I have a lot of respect for him and how he plays the game. It’s just been a battle for as long as I can remember against those guys and him, as well. So it’s an honor to hear that and it won’t stop me from running through his chest on Sunday, but I do appreciate those comments and have a hell of a lot of respect for him.”
Andrews didn’t get any argument from Ravens coach John Harbaugh on his best-ever ranking for Garrett, who needs one sack to become the first player since 1982 to reach 12 in six straight seasons, surpassing Lawrence Taylor (five from 1985-89).
“You can’t just stay the same (in trying to slow him),” Harbaugh said. “He figures you out pretty quickly. (The Browns) know what they’re doing, obviously. And it’s not just Myles Garrett … They have guys on both sides, just like the Bengals do and just like the Steelers do. But Myles Garrett, I don’t think there’s been (anyone) better. (There has) never been a more talented, more dangerous player that you have to block, who can single-handedly wreck any play – any play. And that’s really what you have to kind of keep your eye on. So yes, you have to be conscious of where he is at all times.”
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, who’s been sacked 8.5 times by Garrett — including 1 /12 times in the Ravens 41-17 victory in Week 2 — but has gone 8-5 in head-to-head matchups, is all for committing as many resources as possible to him.
“You just try to get as many hands and objects on him as possible,” Jackson said. “The guy is leading the league in sacks right now, I believe, so we need to get as many guys to block him as possible, if anything.”
Jackson has been back on the job for two weeks after missing three games with a hamstring injury, but he also sat out Wednesday’s practice with a knee injury. He participated fully on Thursday and Friday, and is good to go for Sunday.
“He’s been sitting in the pocket a little bit more and that’s because he wants to show off the arm or they say he’s still recovering,” Garrett said. “We’ve got to take advantage of it either way. So we’ve got to be able to rush and keep him where we want him and be able to take the ball away.”
And if Garrett takes over, the Browns just might pull off the upset.
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