After outshining Steelers' T.J. Watt, Browns' Myles Garrett proclaims himself 'No. 1 edge defender' in NFL

CLEVELAND — Myles Garrett finally had a signature game against his biggest rival.

As in, both the team and peer at his position.

Garrett had three sacks, a forced fumble and a tackle for loss on a fourth down in helping lift the Cleveland Browns to a 24-19 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night.

Garrett filled up the stat sheet — all of his sacks and tackles for loss came in the first half — on a night when the opposing team’s star edge rusher was mostly quiet. The Steelers’ T.J. Watt had one solo tackle, three assisted tackles and a tackle for loss in defeat.

“I mean, I wasn’t really looking what he did. I was just focusing on playing the best ball I could,” Garrett said, “but I wanted to let it be known I am ‘the guy’ — the No. 1 edge defender. That was a statement I was intending to make, and I think I made it.”

Garrett’s big game came two days after he said Watt “was going to have to apologize” to him for skipping out on the NFL Honors ceremony in February when Garrett edged Watt for the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award.

“I’ve never complained about the trophy being at my house, and vice versa. He shouldn’t be feeling two ways about it going to me,” Garrett told Cleveland reporters earlier in the week.

Garrett backed up the big talk. Coming in to Thursday’s game, he had nine sacks in 12 meetings against the Steelers. Watt had 17 in 12 games against Cleveland.

After Thursday, through 12 weeks this season Watt has 7¹⁄₂ sacks and Garrett has 10.

Garrett said he did not get his requested apology. He said he did not speak with Watt after the game.

“I’m trying to be ‘the guy,’ ” Garrett said, referencing the unofficial title of the league’s best defensive player, “and I think I am showing that day-in and day-out.”

Cleveland (3-8) is in last place but for the second time in less than a month defeated a heated AFC North rival at home. The Browns beat the Baltimore Ravens on Oct. 27.

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Cleveland quarterback Jameis Winston said Garrett addressed the team before the game, crediting him with “setting the tone” for a primetime win.

“I just wanted everybody to know the mission,” Garrett said. “It doesn’t change. Darn the record, this is division football. This is as classic of a matchup as it gets. Browns-Steelers, Thursday night, you can’t ask for a better platform or a better time to showcase what you can do as an individual and as a team, so just recognize that opportunity and take hold of it.”

Garrett certainly did that, posting the fifth three-sack game of his career.

“You don’t want to put a chip on Myles’ shoulder, all right?” Winston said. “Because he will definitely go off.”

Said Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski: “(Garrett) knew this matchup. He knew that we needed him.”

There’s no doubting that to be at their best that the Browns need an effective Garrett, who was the No. 1 overall pick in 2017. Watt was the third-to-last pick of that year’s first round.

Though the duo, of course, does not literally face or match up with each other during games, their team’s head-to-head battles often feature low-scoring games in which the star defenders shine. But while Watt had at least one sack in 11 of his first 12 games against Cleveland, Garrett had been held without a sack by the Steelers five times. A natural resulting assumption has been that the Steelers are savvy in scheming to stop him.

Not Thursday.

“Obviously, our plan just wasn’t great against him,” said left tackle Dan Moore Jr., who was charged with allowing two sacks Thursday by Pro Football Focus. “We will review the film, but we’ve just got to be better.”

Watt, meanwhile, was held without a sack for the fourth time over his past six games.

“We need to close out games,” Watt said. “We didn’t do that tonight, and the result was a loss.”