In a classic AFC North showdown between the Browns and Steelers, played under adverse weather conditions and marked by a gritty, physical style of football, Cleveland emerged victorious. Amid the team battle, the individual rivalry between Myles Garrett and T.J. Watt took center stage.
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During the showdown, Garrett proved why he is the reigning DPOY and he didn’t shy away from gloating later. As he spoke with Kaylee Hartung post-game, he said,
“I got a lot of respect for him but I’m number one. From edge one to Defensive Player of the Year. I’m the guy, that runs through me. There is no other person being definitive as I am or schemed or planned against like I am. This goes to show, that you can shut out the window, I’m going to find a way.”
Myles wreaked havoc in the first half, registering three sacks and making Russell Wilson wish he had stayed in Pittsburgh. He came into the game as part of a broken team, with only four sacks in 10 matches and 23 tackles, but stepped up and showed his true colors.
“True AFC North football here tonight.”
Myles Garrett tells @KayleeHartung how much fun he had playing tonight. #TNFonPrime pic.twitter.com/SiZ3DAMjuL
— NFL on Prime Video (@NFLonPrime) November 22, 2024
The Browns defensive end also took the opportunity to call out Watt, for not congratulating him on last season’s Defensive Player of the Year win. The feud stemmed from Watt’s pre-award ceremony tweet, where he cryptically wrote, “Nothing I’m not used to,” after being passed over for the award.
In response to Garrett’s comments, the Steelers linebacker took the high road, praising Garrett as one of the top pass rushers in the league for years. Watt downplayed the rivalry, noting that since they don’t directly compete on the field, his focus remains solely on helping the Steelers.
It is safe to say Myles came out with fire inside him as outperformed his opponent and showed him who is the best among them.
Myles Garrett outperforms T.J. Watt in the battle of edge rushers
The Browns emerged victorious for the second straight time against the Steelers in a fiery AFC North battle. While Jameis Winston and the offense stepped up to the party, the defense led by Garrett did its job.
Myles was a monster today, registering three sacks, all the first half, and a forced fumble. He also made five tackles on the night. The reigning DPOY now has seven sacks this season, just half a sack behind T.J. Watt who didn’t have the same impact he has had throughout the season.
Against Cleveland, he failed to register a sack and made only four tackles. This is only the fourth time this season that the Steelers defense gave up 20 or more points. Pittsburgh is now 8-3 and very much in the driving seat for the AFC North as well as playoffs.
However, today’s game showed worrying signs on offense for the Steelers as they failed to find the end zone in the first half.
