Both teams have been eliminated from playoff contention, but the matchup is still significant for Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, as he chases history. Garrett needs just one sack to break the NFL single-season record of 22.5 sacks shared by Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt. He would share it with a half-sack.
Cincinnati (6-10) could shield Burrow from the risk of injury by not having him face an especially motivated pass rusher, but Taylor said that wasn’t a deterrent – much like when he answered questions about Burrow returning from turf toe surgery when the team’s playoff chances seemed slim.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
“It gives us the best chance to win the game,” Taylor said.
Garrett told reporters after the Browns’ 13-6 win over Pittsburgh on Sunday that the Steelers seemed more worried about keeping him from getting the record – and off Aaron Rodgers – than winning the game. Pittsburgh did hold Garrett without a sack, but could have clinched the AFC North title with a win.
Now the Baltimore Ravens and Steelers will be battling it out for the division title this weekend, while the Bengals face the task of figuring out how to keep Garrett at bay.
That’s no small task, but could be the key to victory.
“He’s the best defensive player on planet Earth,” Taylor said. “It’s all hands on deck. I have as much respect for him as any player we’ve ever gone against. It’s not a fun process pre-games, not a fun process during the game, we take a lot of pride having a great plan to try to give us our best chance of success. And I think the fact that he’s in position where he’s at for this record is a credit to him, that he’s done it at such a high level repeatedly, over and over and over again. He’s an absolute nightmare.”
Garrett has been burying quarterbacks since joining the league as the No. 1 overall pick in 2017 draft, something he takes so much pride in that he created his own quarterback graveyard display for Halloween.
Among that graveyard are 52 different players, but Garrett has sacked Burrow and Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson more than anyone else – 12 times each. Two of those came in Week 1 during a sequence where Burrow was sacked on three consecutive plays in a 17-16 loss for Cincinnati. Garrett accounted for the first two.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
“He can do things that nobody else can do, and so he better be at the forefront of your mind in every play that’s on your sheet and every play you call,” Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher said. “He’s got rare gifts matched with rare technical skill, and he just can do things nobody else can do.”
Taylor said he doesn’t expect Garrett to look any more motivated than he did Week 1. It seems every time the Bengals face Garrett, there is something on the line for him, so this is no different than last year when he was going for his 100th career sack.
On a bright note for Burrow, his offensive line is playing at a much higher level than the opener when rookie Dylan Fairchild was making his first NFL appearance and Dalton Risner wasn’t in the mix yet. Right tackle Amarius Mims also has shown tremendous growth over the course of his second season, and consistency in personnel has helped the offensive line become the best Taylor has seen since arriving in Cincinnati in 2019.
“The time on task (is the key),” Taylor said. “You got Dylan who has now played a ton now at left guard. Dalton has come in and played a good chunk of our season. Now you are seeing the continuity of our offensive line. … September is always a challenge to re-establish your identity and figure our what your strengths and weaknesses are going to be and you catch a better groove November and December on who you are. We need to focus on it. Now we know who we are. We know our strengths and weaknesses and just got to keep focusing on that stuff.”
Taylor wasn’t going to reveal his plan for Garrett, but Pittsburgh chipped or doubled him 16 times (41%), according to Next Gen Stats. On the 23 pass plays that he wasn’t chipped or doubled, the Steelers threw quick or rolled away from him 17 times.
Rodgers averaged a time to throw of 2.39 seconds, the quickest by any qualified quarterback against the Browns this season, per NGS.
Burrow was an incredible 19 for 19 on Sunday when not being pressured, completing more passes than anyone else in those situations. That might be hard to replicate this week, but Cincinnati will try.
“I just think his command isn’t something that people in the stands are necessarily going to notice,” Taylor said. “They’re going to see a completion for a good play. They’re not going to see all the nuance that went into the communication and awareness and looking at where a guy’s foot is and where his hand is, all the things that he factored into it to make sure we were on point. I think that’s an underrated part of it, but I thought our guys did a great job with the actual picking it up, understanding what we were trying to do and doing a great job with the protection aspect of it.”
NEXT GAME
Who: Browns at Bengals
When: 1 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 4
TV: CBS
Radio: 104.7-FM, 700-AM
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