Despite Allowing 13 Sacks in 12 Games, the Bengals Have Fared Better Against Myles Garrett Than You Might Think

CINCINNATI – Everything the Cincinnati Bengals are planning to do Sunday afternoon in the season opener revolves around Cleveland Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett, and for good reason.

A four-time All Pro selection and 2023 Defensive Player of the Year, Garrett has 13 sacks in 12 career games against the Bengals.

Only Pittsburgh’s Cameron Heyward (14.5 sacks in 27 games) and T.J. Watt (14 sacks, 15 games) have more sacks against the Bengals in NFL history.

“If you're not accounting for his presence on every play that's on the call sheet, then you're making a mistake,” Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher said. “He absolutely is the caliber of player that if you are not going through that exercise, then you're not – in my opinion – doing your job as a coach.

“How that's going to look will vary depending on situation, depending on where we are on the field, depending on what the game looks like, but make no mistake, he's a major factor when we play these guys.”

While Garrett averages more than a sack per game against his in-state rivals, the Bengals have done a solid job against him recently.

Garrett only had two games last year with less than three pressures, one of which was the Week 7 contest at Huntington Bank Field.

Even with left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. leaving the game after 18 snaps due to a leg injury and being replaced by Cody Ford, Garrett managed just one pressure in the Bengals’ 21-14 win.

The pressure came in the final minute of the first half against Ford on a Joe Burrow deep attempt for Ja’Marr Chase that was incomplete.

That’s how close the Bengals came to blanking Garrett, something no team has done since Week 2 of 2021, when the Houston Texans did it.

“The guy's an alien in terms of his ability and movements," Brown said. "He's extremely unique. To me, the best defensive end of my generation, this era of football. I can't say enough great things about him.

"You take his football IQ with mix it with his pure, raw ability, and he's a guy that has only gotten better since he's been in the league. You have to respect that.”

And accept it.

“He’s going to make plays, and when he does, you gotta hold on the ball and not make a bad play worse,” Burrow said. “He can win the game if you let him. You have to, No. 1, gameplan around him. No. 2, as a quarterback, you have to be aware of where he’s at all times with protection IDs and also know where your quick answer is in whatever concept you have called. Sometimes he’s back there before you can catch the ball, basically, and you have to get it out.”

Burrow got the ball out quick on Garrett’s first pressure in the Week 16 rematch at Paycor Stadium, but it took an otherworldly effort. That was the play where he stepped up in the pocket and delivered a 2-yard touchdown pass to Tee Higgins just before hitting the ground.

On Garrett’s second of three pressures, Burrow got the ball out for an 11-yard reception to Chase.

Garrett’s third and final pressure of the day came with 1:33 left in the half and ended with a sack.

But one sack and four pressures in two games against Garrett should be seen as a huge win for a Cincinnati offense line, especially with Brown barely playing.

One of the many things that makes Garrett so challenging is how much he moves around in the defensive alignment.

But even when Brown is healthy, he tends to stick to the right side of the defensive formation and go head-to-head with Brown, something he’s done for years with Brown beginning his career in Baltimore.

“We study what have been the alignment trends against us, against other people,” Pitcher said. “You try to make educated guesses as to why that is, and then you try to put yourself in their shoes and make educated guesses as to how they're going to use him in the first game of the year.

“That being said, it's the first game of the year,” Pitcher continued. “They can line him up wherever the hell they want. And so we just have to be able to adjust and have enough flexibility within out scheme to have answers.”

Despite Garrett having 13 sacks in 12 games, the Bengals have done a decent job of finding those answers.

Comparatively speaking.

Sacks is a volume stat and Garrett has played Cincinnati at least twice as many times as any other team outside of the division.

There are 18 teams Garrett has faced at least three times.

His sack rate against the Bengals of 4.2 percent of dropbacks is seventh among those 18 opponents.

Garrett’s 14.1-percent pressure rate against Cincinnati is just the 10th highest against. And his hurry percentage of 7.2 is 15th out of 18.

Not that those numbers will mean anything to the Bengals offensive linemen – and Burrow – who have to contend with Garrett on Sunday.

“No other human can move like him,” Cincinnati right guard Lucas Patrick said. “When God created him, he gave him a little extra juice. He's a special talent. There's so many plans of him being on the backside of a boot and chasing down a quarterback.

“You can talk about physical talent, but the way he plays and how hard he plays, he does football things that sometimes guys with elite talent skip over,” Patrick added. “That's what makes him so tough. He truly doesn't have a weakness.”