INDIANAPOLIS — Where's Myles Garrett? All over the field, apparently.
The Browns' defense has stolen the headlines during the early part of the 2023 season, and no one has received more praise that Garrett. The same has been true on this Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts, with the All-Pro end having yet another stellar day.
Though the unit as a whole has had some mixed results, Garrett has more than picked up the slack. It started late in the first quarter with a strip sack of Colts quarterback Gardner Minshew, setting up a Cleveland drive that ended with a 2-yard Kareen Hunt touchdown run to tie the game at 14.
Then, roughly midway through the second quarter, Garrett made a play that will likely be part of his highlight reel for years to come. After he and the defense stopped an Indy drive, the Colts lined up for a 60-yard field goal that would've given them a 17-14 lead. However, Garett was having none of it, literally leaping over the line to block Matt Gay's kick before Denzel Ward returned the ball to the Indianapolis 26.
The eye-popping move did no less than reverse the script, as three plays later Dustin Hopkins made a 44-yard field goal of his own to instead give the Browns on top 17-14.
Unfortunately, the Colts marched 75 yards down the field on their very next series and got a TD run from Minshew to go back on top, 21-17. Cleveland was forced to punt on its next series, but with Indy backed up against its goal line, Minshew found himself pressured again by (who else?) Garrett.
Long story short: Another strip sack, another fumble, and this time, Tony Fields II pounced on it in the end zone for a Browns touchdown. It gave his team a 24-21 edge, with Garrett's game-wrecking plays leading directly to 17 of those points.
Garrett has long been regarded as one of the NFL's best, and has seemingly only improved under defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz's new system. If he's not already in your Defensive Player of the Year conversation, he better be, now.
By the way, Dustin Hopkins made another 54-yarder just before halftime, giving the Browns a 27-21 lead at the break.