Cleveland Browns: 5 Bold predictions for Wild Card weekend
By Randy Gurzi
3. Myles makes most of his first playoff game
Unlike their offensive leader, Jarvis Landry, this will be the first playoff game in the career of their defensive leader, Myles Garrett. The No. 1 overall pick from 2017 has continued to be the heart and would of the Browns defense and his ability to wreck an offense’s gameplan can change the course of a game in the team’s favor.
Garrett finished the season with 48 tackles with 12 sacks but it could have been more. He was on a tear early in the season with the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in his sights. Then in Week 11, he was forced to miss time due to being positive for COVID-19. He missed two weeks and then returned in Week 13 and helped the Browns beat the Tennessee Titans.
In that game, Garrett had a sack but it was one of just 2.5 he recorded in the final five games of the season. He was open about how he was struggling with his endurance after his return from COVID, which clearly affected his lungs.
The good news is, the further he got from having the virus, the more he looked like himself. On Sunday, he had four tackles and was excellent at setting the edge in the run game. Look for him to not only continue to do that but to finally get home and take Ben Roethlisberger down for a couple of sacks — making the most of his first postseason game.