CLEVELAND — Lining up across the field from the reigning 2-time recipient, Myles Garrett said he wanted to make his own case for being named the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year.
And as the Los Angeles Rams threatened to score just before halftime on Sunday Night Football, the Cleveland Browns defensive end did just that.
With the Rams facing a 3rd-and-10 at their own 36-yard line with 28 seconds left before halftime, Garrett got to Rams quarterback Jared Goff for a strip sack. Cleveland linebacker Joe Schobert recovered the loose ball and returned it to the Rams' 17-yard line, setting up a 35-yard Austin Seibert field goal to give the Browns a 6-3 lead heading into halftime.
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Garrett's sack came after a week's worth of headlines regarding his Defensive Player of the Year candidacy as the former No. 1 pick had amassed an NFL-high five sacks heading into Sunday night. In each of the past two seasons, Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald has earned that honor, totaling a combined 31.5 sacks in 2017 and 2018.
“I want Myles to be as good as he can possibly be, whatever that happens. I do not think he should set any limitations on himself," Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens said of Garrett. "I think he should just go out and play the game the best that he can play the game, and that starts with every rep – play that. He did a good job last week of putting pressure on the quarterback."
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