Myles Garrett wants to play spoiler to Steelers playoff hopes

With the Cleveland Browns already being eliminated from playoff contention, Myles Garrett says they will look to spoil the hopes of the Steelers in Week 18.

The Cleveland Browns won’t be playoff bound for the second-straight season, but that doesn’t mean they will quit this season with one game remaining. In Week 17, Cleveland knocked off the Washington Commanders to help eliminate them from playoff contention.

In Week 18, the Browns will look to do it again, only this time, ending divisional rival Pittsburgh’s hopes of sneaking into the playoffs. Not only would the Steelers miss the playoffs, but it would also ensure the first losing season for head coach Mike Tomlin.

Myles Garrett, who recorded a sack in Sunda’s 24-10 victory, would love for his team to knock out the divisional foe.

"“We’d love to do that,” Garrett said, via WKYC. “We consider them our rivals. Divisionally, if we can’t make it, we’re definitely going to make sure those guys can’t. We’re going to do everything in our power. “Much respect to them for being in that position, but we live for times like this.”"

This season clearly did not go as planned for the Browns, but that doesn’t mean they can’t end the year on a high note heading into what is shaping up to be an eventful offseason with plenty of changes likely coming. Garrett coming out and saying they’d love to knock the Steelers out says a lot, especially with all the hoopla surrounding his three-play “suspension” in Week 16 against the Saints.

Many on Browns’ Twitter wanted to make it something that it wasn’t and that it was causing a rift between the star EDGE rusher and head coach Kevin Stefanski. Garrett has been plenty critical of his coaching staff throughout the season, but rest assured both he and Stefanski will be back in 2023, regardless of your feelings on the latter.

Cleveland could have easily packed it in and started to plan for offseason vacations and activities, but this past Sunday showed they have some fight left in them. While the results haven’t been what anyone in the locker room, front office, or from home wanted, there is still plenty to play for.

Again, with a win, the Browns will knock the Steelers out of the playoffs and that would be a sweet treat to end this up-and-down season. On top of that, this would be the first time since 1988 that Cleveland swept the season series against Pittsburgh. That would be a huge boost of confidence heading toward the offseason.

Also in this game, we will see the final game of Deshaun Watson’s 2022 season. When the Browns elected to trade for Watson in March, they essentially punted on this season and planned for next season and beyond. This game will give Watson his first crack at the Steelers donning the orange and brown and give him some more reps. He played arguably his best half in the second half of Sunday’s victory, tossing three touchdown passes, and will look to build upon that.

The Steelers need to not only beat the Browns in the final week of the regular season as well as have the Jets beat the Dolphins and the Patriots beat the Jets. Both of the latter scenarios will be null and void if Clevland can emerge victorious.

Garrett has had his leadership questioned a lot this season, but the fact he is trying to motivate his team to knock out the rival Steelers says a lot. The ultimate goal of every team is to win a Super Bowl, but this will be the next best thing for Cleveland after an eventful offseason and underachieving regular season.