4 Cleveland Browns who will decide playoff fate

2. Myles Garrett, Defensive End

This game will be big for Myles Garrett, although he would never try and make it about him. Garrett will be on the field against Mason Rudolph who will be starting in place of Ben Roethlisberger for the Steelers. The last time Rudolph started for Pittsburgh against the Browns, it was he and Garrett that were involved in the biggest brawl of the 2019 NFL Season.

Rudolph and Garrett were separated after an initial spat and then the Steelers’ quarterback went back after the Cleveland defender and tried to take Garrett’s helmet off. That led to Garrett doing the same to Rudolph, only he managed to remove the quarterback’s headgear and then hit him in the head with that helmet.

A fight continued and several fines and suspensions followed. For Garrett, he missed six games and then had his name drug through the mud when someone inside his hearing leaked his claim that Rudolph used a racial slur.

Garrett admitted that was a tough time for him but was able to put it behind him. Now, it will be brought back up as he and Rudolph will face off, but Garrett has a chance to end the talk by beating the Steelers in this important game.

Cleveland will need a big game from Garrett too, but he has been struggling with his endurance since returning from COVID-19. He’s started to show signs of improvement, and this is the game his team will need him most. Perhaps that’s part of the reason he was named a captain for this contest.