Getty Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns looks on prior to the game against the New England Patriots at FirstEnergy Stadium on October 16, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
Much has already gone sideways for the Cleveland Browns this season, and it’s unclear how many more blows the franchise can absorb before it’s knocked down for good.
Star defensive end Myles Garrett missed a game two weeks back after a single-vehicle car crash left him with multiple injuries, including one to his shoulder. During the late stages of Cleveland’s Week 6 loss the the New England Patriots, the All-Pro defensive end re-aggravated that shoulder issue.
“It could be better,” Garrett said the injury. “I have been dealing with it since the accident and trying to manage it and be in the best position to play come Sunday. Certain falls and tackles are going to aggravate it and make it worse.”
“At the end of the day, I want to win. This whole team wants to win, and I am always going to put them first,” Garrett continued. “I am always going to go out there and try my very best, no matter what is ailing me or how bad I am hurting or aching. I am going to put my guys first, and we are going to go out there and play our best ball. I played today, and I will be playing next week.”
Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski was also asked about Garrett’s shoulder following the game, and he appeared to concur with the defensive end’s assessment that he will be back on the field next Sunday for a pivotal division showdown with the Baltimore Ravens.
“He just, I think, banged the shoulder,” Stefanski said. “But I believe he will be OK.”
Garrett Aggravated Shoulder During Record-Setting Performance
GettyQB Bailey Zappe of the New England Patriots fumbles the ball after being hit by DE Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns during a game at FirstEnergy Stadium on October 16, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images)
Cleveland registered just two sacks Sunday against the Patriots, and Garrett was responsible for both of them.
By making those plays, Garrett moved to five sacks on the season in as many games played. He also set a record for most career sacks in a Cleveland uniform with of 63.5, passing former record-holder Clay Matthews who amassed 62 sacks between 1978-93, per The Football Database.
The 26-year-old Garrett is likely to runaway with the franchise mark if he remains with the Browns long-term, though the accomplishment brought him little solace following the 38-15 home defeat on Sunday.
“It comes with a loss. It is nice to be recognized and honored, but at the end of the day, winners are remembered, and we aren’t winning,” Garrett said. “I can have all of the individual records I want and that will come and go, but winners are in the hearts of people forever, especially in this town, so we have to turn this around.”
Garrett re-aggravated his shoulder injury during his second sack of the game, which came against Patriots rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe in the fourth quarter.
Browns Face Critical Division Game Against Ravens Next Week
Getty ImagesQB Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens rushes against the New England Patriots during a game at Gillette Stadium on September 25, 2022 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Garrett and company won’t have much time to dwell on what was, by far, their shabbiest performance of the season to date.
In the middle of one of the more difficult stretches of schedule facing any NFL team this season, the Browns’ next test comes on the road in Baltimore on October 23.
The Ravens are 3-3 this year, as are the defending AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals. The Pittsburgh Steelers engineered an upset Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, moving them to 2-4 in a crowded and talented AFC North Division that has produced mediocre results one-third of the way through the season.
The divisional traffic jam — not to mention the Browns’ upcoming slate of games against four potential playoff teams after this Sunday in Baltimore — makes a win all the more crucial to Cleveland’s postseason chances.
Garrett, however, believes his teammates are up to the challenge.
“I’m not thinking that anyone is going to back down from the Ravens or any other team,” Garrett said. “I don’t think anyone in that locker room is going to roll over and lay down for any team that comes our way. It isn’t hard to learn from wins, but each loss, you have to go look within yourself and look at your teammates and really see what is going wrong. If we execute, the score will take care of itself.”