The Baltimore Ravens (7-2) will face the Cleveland Browns (5-3) in Week 10, on Sunday, at home. They have already beat their AFC North foes just a few weeks ago. They also have a sizable advantage in the standings, and by the look of it all, they should fear nothing about this matchup.
Except for one thing: Defensive Player of the Year candidate and Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett. Or at least that's Baltimore Ravens Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken's biggest fear entering the weekend.
"It’s awful. It absolutely stinks. He’s got such natural ability, and he’s worked awfully hard to really drill down his pass rush moves, and he’s relentless. You have to account [for] wherever he’s at, which is [for] any elite player. It could be a receiver, quarterbacks that can move, pass rushers that make it difficult. It makes it difficult in terms of everything that you do because he can wreck the game. … He’s a hard worker, a great kid, but it stinks [to play against him]. You’d prefer he’s out."Todd Monken, Baltimore Ravens OC
Facing Garrett in Week 10? "It's awful," said Monken on Thursday. "It absolutely stinks."
And hey, even though the Ravens completely dominated Cleveland the first time they met this season, Monken might have a point.
Garrett is simply doing what he wanst on football fields across the nation this year. He's racked up 9.5 sacks in just eight games. He's forced four fumbles, completed 25 tackles, and hit opposing quarterbacks a grand total 18 times so far.
This man might have not earned DPOY awards before, but he finished fifth in the voting last season and everything points toward him lifting the gold once we flip the calendar page and the big prize is handed out by Commissioner Roger Goodell.
"He’s got such natural ability," explained Monken, "and he’s worked awfully hard to really drill down his pass rush moves, and he’s relentless." Added the OC, "You have to account wherever he’s at."
In their Week 4 matchup, Garrett was limited to just two tackles against the Ravens to go with three quarterback hits and one sack on Lamar Jackson. The Ravens won 28-3 and gave the Browns no option at all.