NEW ORLEANS — Myles Garrett was shockingly absent from the defensive stat sheet for the second time this season after Sunday’s 35-14 loss to the Saints, failing to register a sack, tackle, assist, quarterback hit, forced fumble, recovery or interception.
The first time it happened was during the 34-13 loss to the Commanders in Week 5.
To underscore how rare it is, it’s only the third time it’s happened in Garrett’s career, with the first time being last year’s 36-19 loss to the Rams.
But the Saints did everything they could to keep Garrett — the Reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year — from wrecking the game, especially after his three-sack outburst in his last game against the Chargers.
“We made sure we had a plan for him because he’s one of the most dominant players I’ve every played in my 11 years in the NFL,” said Saints quarterback Derek Carr (21 of 27, 248 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs, 1 sack, 129.6 rating). “He’s insane how good he is. Some of the plays he can make – the strength with the speed with the effort. There’s a play you can watch him against Washington where you watch him on a run play, 50, 60 yards down the field, he’s outrunning DBs. He’s unbelievable.”
Carr noted that “thankfully, he didn’t decapitate me on the one I was throwing to Foster [Moreau] because he found a way in. I thought our offensive line did an outstanding job. Tight ends, running backs, whatever receivers we had in just different kind of looks, different kind of things you don’t always use in every game but with a guy like that you have to use. I put him up there with the guys I’ve played like Von Miller, Aaron Donald, TJ Watt.
“They’re just that dominant. I’m going to stop naming people, so someone down the road doesn’t get mad. They just have a way to impact games. You watch the film, and you see him about to get chipped, and he’s hitting the chipper three yards in the air; both feet are off the ground. Then, he’s running through the tackle. Not everybody can do that kind of stuff.”
Garrett, who leads the Browns with 7.0 sacks, worked mostly against rookie left tackle Taliese Fuaga, the No. 14 overall pick out of Oregon State.
“What a great challenge for him because we did leave him out there a couple of times,” Carr said. “You can’t always chip and do certain things 100 percent of the time. There are certain concepts and routes you live with and just have to do it. I thought what a fantastic job. What an experience for him to go up against one of the most dominant players our league has ever seen to just grow in confidence and continue to get better.”
The Saints had an excellent gameplan against the Browns, featuring misdirection, screens and bootlegs. They also used tight end Taysom Hill in a wildcat role, and he rushed for three touchdowns off direct snaps, including the 75-yard gamesealer with 2:26 left in the game. The strategy resulted in Carr being sacked only once, by Ogbo Okoronkwo in the first game since Za’Darius Smith was traded to the Lions.
“It’s definitely tough,” Garrett said of the offensive gameplan. “Stuff like that keeps you off guard as a defensive line front, so that just kept us from being as penetrating as we wanted to consistently. We knocked them back, set the edge, but sometime it was run, sometimes it was stretch, sometime it was that boot, it was a play action. So it was a lot to play into and then react to, but got to make the plays when they’re there.”
Despite his glaring absence from the stat sheet, his presence was felt on the field, and will continue to be for as long as he’s healthy this season. How does he continue to bring it strong with the Browns going nowhere this season?
“Legacy,” he said.” I play this game to be the very best there is. I expect everyone else to play it because they love it, play it because they want to be remembered for something. Whether we’re 2-8 or 8-2. This will be remembered for years to come. There will be film, people will speak about you and you’ll have to look yourself in the mirror knowing that your effort and what you put on tape is going to decide what’s going to happen for your career and for the years to come. And when I step foot out there, I expect to do the very best job I possibly can, and I expect that of everyone else who’s out there with me.”
Jameis Winston is grateful the Browns have Garrett setting the tone on the defensive side of the ball.
“Myles is one of the best players to ever do it,” Winston said. “So if he talks about legacy, you should listen to him. Because he has an incredible legacy and he’s continued to build on that. But I think holistically, as a Cleveland Brown, we have to find a way to win a football game, whatever that requires, whoever has to make a big play or not make a mistake, we have to find a way to do it. And I believe in our guys, I believe in this team with all my heart, we’re going to continue to fight. I believe in these coaches. We just have to find a way. And that’s the thing with football.”
Garrett lamented that the defense, which surrendered three fourth-quarter touchdowns, couldn’t close out the game for Jameis Winston, who threw for 395 yards in his return to New Orleans.
“Putting them in a hole and down one score, two score, three scores,” Garrett said. “That’s a lot for anyone and don’t want to have to put the ball in Jameis’ hands and have him shoulder a load like that. We’ve got to take care of our own business just like they’ve been doing for us.”
But Garrett doesn’t think it was for lack of effort.
“I would say it’s more execution,” he said. “Tackling, guys are most of the time in position and to combat that sometimes when you don’t execute as you want, then you have to have the extra effort you have to tackle well, and I think that the effort was there. There were guys there multiple times. We’ve just got to be able to make those tackles.”
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