THREE-POINT STANCE
(Three points of interest in Sunday’s game)
IS TODAY THE DAY?
Myles Garrett has made the rare a reality, the impossible attainable. So the idea of him getting four sacks of Titans rookie Cam Ward to break the NFL season record seems completely doable despite only three players in the NFL having that many sacks in a game this year, including Garrett twice.
That’s the type of player Garrett is, the type of streak he’s on and the type of historic season he’s having. And everyone with the Browns is pulling hard for him to get the record. He has 19 sacks in 12 games. The record is 22.5 shared by Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt.
“When it comes to Myles, we’re 1,000 percent all in to do whatever it takes to get Myles to that point,” safeties coach Ephraim Banda said. “We talk about it in the room. Let’s get (the quarterback) off the first look, let’s get him off the second look, so Myles can get to this record that’s historic and it’s a team deal. We’re all wanting to do that with him, for him.”
Garrett has a full sack in six straight games. He can become the first player in NFL history with three games in a season with at least four sacks, which would give him the record. It would also tie him with Al “Bubba” Baker for the unofficial record, as he had 23 in 1978 before the sack became an official stat in 1982. In Garrett’s last matchup with the Titans, in 2023, he had 3.5 sacks and a forced fumble. Ward, the No. 1 pick in the draft, is the quarterback this time and has been sacked an NFL-high 48 times. He’s been sacked at least four times in eight games. As absurd as predicting a four-sack game is, Garrett has reasonable-minded analysts doing just that.
“It’s amazing to see,” rookie defensive tackle Mason Graham said. “Our D-line coach said — I hadn’t seen Myles play before coming in — but he was saying Myles looks the best he’s ever looked. So I kind of had a good feeling that this maybe could be the year and it’s looking that way. He’s getting closer to the record. I could care less about me getting sacks as long as he gets the record.”
Garrett believes he’s been playing at this level for a few years. The difference this season is better coverage behind him and better pass rush around him. He credits his teammates.
“To even be at this point, it’s all thanks to them,” Garrett said. “I couldn’t do it without the effort and the time they put in to make us this good as a group on defense. We’re as good as we ever have been in my time here, and we’re consistently rushing and stopping the run at a high level. So they’ve created these opportunities.”
NOT AGAIN
The Browns were a better team than the Jets a month ago, dominated defensively and still lost.
Back-to-back kick returns for touchdowns — on a kickoff, then a punt — will do that to a team. Jets 27, Browns 20.
This matchup feels a lot like that one, especially because the Titans have one of the best kick returners in the league in Chimere Dike, a rookie fourth-round pick out of Florida. He has two punt returns for touchdowns and leads the NFL with a 21.2-yard average. He also returns kickoffs, averaging 25.6 yards with a long of 71.
Embattled Browns special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone coached Dike at the Senior Bowl.
Grant Delpit named Browns’ Walter Payton Man of Year nominee for his commitment to helping others
“I love the kid,” Ventrone said. “Really enjoyed coaching him that week. Really, really good skill set, fast, good ball skills, good ball security. Very good vision. Has the ability to run every type of return out there. So we will have to do a good job.”
That’s far from a certainty. The Browns have allowed three returns for touchdowns this season, are last in the league in net punt yardage and started the loss to the 49ers last week by allowing a 66-yard punt return to set up a touchdown.
“Look, since I’ve been a player and as a coach, I’ve coached coverage the same way. I’ve coached leveraging the football the same way,” Ventrone said. “We need to just do a better job of making a tackle. Even in the (49ers) game, we have multiple bodies at the spot, at the point of attack. Just gotta find a way to make a tackle, and our players understand that. They know their responsibilities and what they’re asked to do. We just need to execute at a higher level.”
The offense and special teams put the defense in terrible spots against the 49ers with a series of short fields. If they don’t let that happen against Ward, the defense could win the game by itself. Coach Kevin Stefanski, Ventrone and punter Corey Bojorquez should proceed with extreme caution when kicking to Dike, even considering kicking it out of bounds in certain situations.
“We know obviously he’s a good returner, very good speed, rookie,” Grant Delpit said. “He put the ball on the ground last week, but he’s been pretty ball-secure all season, so we know he likes to test our edges. He’ll get upfield.”
FRIENDS AND FAMILY
If it weren’t for Garrett’s pursuit of the sack record and the Shedeur Sanders-Ward rookie quarterback matchup, this game wouldn’t be on anyone’s radar outside of the cities where the Rock & Roll and Country Music halls of fame are located. The Browns are 3-9 and the Titans 1-11. Positioning at the top of the draft is at stake, but not much else.
“It’s not going to be a lot of people watching this game. Keep it honest,” Delpit said. “We have four combined wins overall, but we’re going to really see who loves this game. We’re going to see who loves football. I think that from a defensive standpoint, we’re going to set that off as we do. We’re looking to dominate every snap.”
Browns fans and many of the players are used to playing out the string, although the Browns haven’t been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. Last year the players struggled to handle the letdown after starting the season with playoff expectations and the Browns lost their last six games. The energy is better this year, and the No. 2-ranked defense has a lot to do with that.
“This is a game that I prayed and dreamed of playing all my life,” cornerback Denzel Ward said. “I’m just going out there enjoying being with this team and going out there trying to make plays and do what we can to get a win. That’s always the goal to get the win, but just having fun, that’s the biggest thing. It’s still more to play for. We’re still preparing for next season as well, so you want to put good stuff on tape and just see what we got.”
Stefanski’s job is likely on the line over the final five games. Ownership would prefer continuity with Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry, but wins matter and a second straight 3-14 season probably won’t be good enough to choose stability. A December loss to the one-win Titans after a November loss to the one-win Jets could crush the team’s spirit and be too much for Stefanski to overcome. Ward offered his support of Stefanski.
“He’s going to say we’re going to go through tough times, but it’s going to bring us together,” he said. “We got to all stick together and continue to stick as a team. It’s only going to make us better in the long run, if it’s not this year, next year it is preparing us. Everything affects everything, and we’re just stacking bricks and stacking the foundation, bringing the team close together as we can and it is going to pay off in the long run.”
NUMBERS GAME
94
League-high tackles for loss by the Browns defense, 13 more than No. 2 Minnesota.
31
Percent of third downs converted by the Browns, 30th in the NFL.
180
League-low first downs for the Titans. The Browns are one spot better with 193.
THE PICK
Myles Garrett breaks the season sack record and Shedeur Sanders beats No. 1 pick Cam Ward. If the Browns don’t win this matchup, I’d expect an organization overhaul after the season. Browns 24, Titans 6.
