The Biggest Threat to Packers in Week 3 vs. Browns

Game-wrecker.

That’s the description of Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, the player who is the biggest threat to the Green Bay Packers starting the season with three consecutive wins.

“Obviously, he’s one of the best in the game,” Jordan Love said about Garrett. “You’ve always got to know where he’s at, what side he’s lining up on and just be aware and, obviously, try and get as many hands on him as possible. He’s a stud. He’s one of those guys that can wreck a game for an offense. So, definitely always got to know where he’s at.”

Garrett is one of the best in the game, and that’s how it’s been for almost a decade. Garrett and T.J. Watt were first-round picks in 2017. Over that span, only Watt (108) has more sacks than Garrett (106). Since 2020, Garrett is No. 1 with 75.5 sacks. He led the NFL with 22 tackles for losses last season.

“He can be a game-wrecker,” guard Aaron Banks said, echoing the words used by coach Matt LaFleur.

“He’s a game-wrecker,” LaFleur said. “You’ve got to be really intentional about what you’re trying to get done, because if you have a bad matchup, forget about it. This guy can make it ugly in a hurry.”

With seven consecutive seasons of 10-plus sacks, Garrett’s dominance continued into this season, as he entered Week 3 tied for the NFL lead with 3.5 sacks. The Packers’ offensive line, which has allowed only two sacks this season, will look to stop Garrett’s game-wrecking production.

For Love, stopping Garrett begins before the snap.

“I think anytime that you’re going against an elite pass rusher, you’ve always got to know where he’s at and you’ve got to know what the protection is,” he said. “How many guys do we got sliding to him? Do we got chips on him? Does he have a one-on-one rush with somebody over there? So, you’ve always got to be aware of that and just keep that time clock in the back of your head.”

Time will be of the essence.

“Versus any rush in the NFL, you don’t want to be holding onto the ball too long,” Love continued. “It’s all about that pocket awareness, just having a good feel for where guys are at, if anybody gets beat right away or things like that. You’ve just got to be cognizant, but anytime you’ve got a really good edge rusher, just knowing where he’s at and knowing who’s blocking him and how many hands we’ve got on him at all times is important.”

Love has enjoyed a good amount of time in the pocket this season, having an average of 3.01 seconds to get rid of the ball, which is eighth in the NFL according to PFF. That allows his receivers time to get open downfield, giving Love the second highest average depth of target at 13.1 yards.

While Garrett does get moved around a little bit on the defensive line, he takes most of his snaps lined up across from the left tackle. With the uncertainty at right tackle, Garrett may take some shots at injured Zach Tom or rookie Anthony Belton, but Garrett’s history suggests most of his snaps will come against left tackle Rasheed Walker.

Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (95) tackles Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. | Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

Walker has quietly been one of the sturdiest left tackles in the league this season, allowing just five pressures and no sacks or hits through the first two games, according to PFF. He also has yet to commit a penalty.

Walker has a simple game plan going up against Garrett.

“Practice how you play. Practice preparation turns into game reality,” he said.

It helps him that in practice he has two great edge rushers he can work with in Rashan Gary and Micah Parsons.

“I talked to Micah and Rashan a lot,” Walker said. “They’re pretty much like open textbooks when you go up and ask them questions about things you didn’t know. They’re not just good – they don’t just turn into good players overnight. So, you can get a lot of insight talking to guys like that.”

Complicating matters is Garrett isn’t a one-man wrecking crew. According to PFF, Maliek Collins is second in pass-rush win rate among defensive tackles and Isaiah McGuire has taken advantage of all the attention paid to Garrett to rank 15th in pass-rush win rate among edge rushers.

Offensive line coach Luke Butkus knows Garrett can be a handful, but his focus is on his blockers rather than Garrett.

“He’s a very good player, you’re exactly right,” he said. “But when it comes down to it, it’s about us. It’s about our play style. We know he’s there, and we’re going to do everything we can to get after him, but it’s about our play style and what we’re going to do. They’re all good. Every week we’re going to have a very good player.

“He’s a phenomenal player, but so is 96 (Collins), so is 94 (Mason Graham), so is 57 (McGuire). We’re going to have our hands full but we’re going to give it everything we’ve got.”

The Packers will have their hands full trying to stop Garrett, who can beat you with his speed, finesse or raw strength, but the Packers’ offensive line has been one of the best this season, even against a player like Aidan Hutchinson, who is a similar player to Garrett. The winner of this individual matchup – one of the biggest of the season – could determine which team wins the game.

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