The Patriots are coming off preparation for what offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels called one of the best players in football in Titans defensive lineman Jeffrey Simmons. This week, they might be preparing
for the best.
“Myles Garrett. He’s one of the best players in the league,” quarterback Drake Maye said Wednesday. “He’s somebody you’ve got to know where he’s at. A lot of credit to him. He plays hard, he’s disruptive, and he’s good in the run game and the pass game. It’s going to be a tough challenge.”
A future Hall of Famer with 107.5 sacks to his name, Garrett’s 29 pressures rank 12th best among all edge rushers in football this season. The 6-foot-4, 272 pound pass rusher does most of his work over the left tackle — setting himself up for a matchup with rookie Will Campbell — but isn’t afraid to move all across the line.
“He does some stuff that a lot of people can’t do,” Campbell said. “He’s a great player.”
Garrett is the anchor for a Browns defense that ranks third in expected points added per play and second in success rate this season. Through seven weeks, the Patriots know it will be the toughest unit they’ve seen.
“They’re fast, they’re disruptive,” head coach Mike Vrabel said. “They put pressure on the quarterback, and they do it through their players and their identity. They understand what they want to do and how they want to play. They want to force you into mistakes if you give up loose plays or guys get on the edge of somebody. You’ve got an elite edge rusher on the outside, and if you can’t step up it’s going to be hard to protect.”
While much of the focus revolves around Garrett, Cleveland’s defensive line can win elsewhere. That features an interior duo of rookie Mason Graham, who was taken one pick after Campbell in the first-round, and veteran Maliek Collins, who ranks fifth among all interior defenders in pass rush win rate.
Then comes the second- and third-levels of the defense, with rookie second-round linebacker Carson Schwesigner impressing out of the gate next to veteran Devin Bush in addition to a cornerback duo that Maye called one of the best they’ll see.
“The corners are going to be sticky,” added Vrabel, “the linebackers all can run, safeties are very good tacklers. And that’s the thing that I’ve noticed, is that if a ball breaks, eight yards is a really long run against this team because the safeties are such good tacklers – Grant [Delpit] and Ronnie [Hickman].”
On the other end of the spectrum, Cleveland’s offense has struggled this season averaging just 16.1 points per game (30th). New England may not need to light up the scoreboard to walk out of Gillette Stadium with their fifth straight win, but they know points could be hard to come by.
“They’re really good, they’re really good,” Maye said. “It’s going to be good getting back at home, but we know we’ve got a tough challenge.”
