Despite the defensive dominance that the Cleveland Browns displayed against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 3, their biggest star was all but shut out in the matchup. Myles Garrett was limited to two tackles with no sacks in the tilt, a total reversal from his highly productive showings in the team’s first two games.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski commented on the Steelers’ ability to limit Garrett’s impact on Friday after the game. He said that his staff had an inkling Pittsburgh would bring another wrinkle in their game plan to mitigate the star pass rusher, but that their emphasis on Garrett gave other players a chance to shine.
“[They did] a lot, and that is what you can expect,” Stefanski explained.
“Teams will wait to see where he lines up, and they are going to move the tight end to his side, they are going to send the line his way and they are going to send the back his way. That is just the nature of how teams are going to try to defend us. It opens up opportunities for guys. There are things that we did last night and things that we will continue to do as ways to try and free him up. It is no secret.”
Garrett is just one sack away from setting the Browns’ franchise record for sacks in a career, so anticipation is building for his next encounter with a quarterback. Stefanski will continue to monitor the way opponents scheme around the presence of his primary pass-rushing threat, and find ways to adjust his defense to keep Garrett in rhythm.
For now, though, fans will have to wait to see history made by their star defender. If the team can formulate a better strategy to get Garrett a free shot at Marcus Mariota against the Atlanta Falcons next week, the weight of achieving the milestone could be lifted before it becomes a bigger story than it already is.
