Myles Garrett didn’t want an apology from T.J. Watt.
Instead, he wanted respect.
Garrett showed Watt why he is the current NFL Defensive Player of the Year, recording three sacks in a powerful first half that set the tone for Cleveland’s surprising 24-19 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night.
It was the kind of performance Garrett delivered often last season when he was named the league’s top defensive player over Watt, the Pittsburgh linebacker who had more sacks and seemed upset about finishing second. Watt had won the award in 2021.
The night Garrett received the award, Watt posted on social media, “Nothing I’m not used to.” The post got 5.5 million views.
Earlier this week, Garrett responded to Watt’s comment, saying, “I’ve never complained about the trophy not being at my house and vice versa.” Garrett felt disrespected and took it out on the Steelers.
“I was really focused on going out there and playing the very best ball I could,” Garrett said. “But, yeah, I wanted to make it known that I’m the guy. I’m the No. 1 edge defender. That was a statement I was intending to make, and I think I made.”
After Garrett ended the first half with his third sack of Wilson, Browns teammate Ogbo Okoronkwo pretended to put a crown on Garrett’s helmet.
“You don’t want to put a chip on Myles’ shoulders,” Browns quarterback Jameis Winston said. “Because he will go off.”
Garrett’s three sacks brought his total to 10 for the season. He’s the only player in the league with double-digit sacks for the last seven years.
Watt didn’t get a sack and finished with four tackles as the Steelers lost to the Browns in consecutive games for the first time since 2000.
“It is very deflating,” said Watt, who did not comment on his rivalry with Garrett. “We need to close out games, and we were not able to do that. It sucks that we couldn’t hold on, but a loss is a loss.”
The Steelers had a hard time finding a way to stop Garrett, who was unwilling to share any of his tactics.
“I can’t tell you because it might be used against me next time,” Garrett said with a smile. “We see them in two weeks. Let me go ahead and say it was tough and keep it at that.”
