Myles Garrett respects TJ Watt, but wanted to show ‘I’m number one’

Myles Garrett addressed the conversation prior to Thursday night’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, then outplayed TJ Watt in the Browns’ 24-19 victory.

“I got a lot of respect for him, a lot of respect for all the guys over there,” Garrett said of Watt, via Cleveland.com. “But I’m number one. And that’s what I am, Edge 1, for Defensive Player of the Year. I’m the guy. That’s still me. There’s no other person that gets defended like I am or planned or played against similar. I am.”

Garrett earned three sacks, all in the first half, three tackles for loss and a forced fumble. Entering Sunday’s games, he is the only player in the NFL this season with 3-plus sacks in multiple games.

Watt, meanwhile, was slowed by the conditions and the extra attention from the Cleveland offense. Watt had four tackles, one for loss, and no sacks or QB hits.

Garrett gave the pregame speech before the Browns pulled up the division.

“I just wanted to let everybody know the mission. It’s not changing. Stop the records — no, this is divisional football. This is as classic a matchup as it gets. Browns-Steelers, Thursday night,” Garrett said after the game. game via the team’s official website. “You couldn’t ask for a better platform, a better time to show what you can do as an individual and as a team. So just step up and recognize the opportunity and take it.”

Garrett became the seventh player with 10-plus sacks in at least seven straight seasons since sacks became an official stat in 1982. He is the fourth player with 10-plus sacks in at least seven of his first eight seasons (Reggie White (8) , DeMarcus Ware (7), link-placeholder-0).

The win pushed the Browns to 3-8, and while they aren’t contending for a playoff spot, they have plenty of chances to play spoiler down the stretch. Of Cleveland’s last six games, five are against teams currently in playoff position, and the sixth is against a Miami club trying to get back into the postseason race.

There will be no thoughts from Garrett and his teammates.

“We want to win. We’re not playing for any consolation, no picks. We want to go out there and put our foot on everybody’s neck. So we’re trying to carry that momentum throughout the season,” Garrett said. “But guys have to take this in, take the 24-hour rule, watch the film, dump it and then move on to the next one.”

The Browns take on the Steelers again in 16 days in Pittsburgh.