Browns defensive end Myles Garrett said last week that even though COVID-19 “kicked my butt,” he wasn’t just going to make a cameo appearance in his return against the Titans on Sunday.
Garrett ended up playing 52 snaps — 72 percent of the Browns’ defensive reps in their 41-35 statement victory over Tennessee. That’s not far off from Garrett’s average, though his season high is 93 percent.
“The first quarter, I felt pretty good,” Garrett said postgame, via Dan Labbe of Cleveland.com. “After that, I felt pretty tired. I just had to push through it, try to make plays and be there when my team needs me.”
Garrett recorded a sack and a tackle for loss in his first game since Nov. 15, giving him 10.5 on the season. That made him the first Browns player to ever have three seasons of at least 10.0 sacks.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 draft, Garrett has 41.0 sacks, 40 tackles for loss, and 80 QB hits in his first 47 games.
After missing two weeks, Garrett may have fallen off in the 2020 defensive player of the year race. But he’s continued to make an impact for a Cleveland team that looks like it’s headed to the postseason for the first time since 2002.