The 1-3 Cleveland Browns have plenty of problems as they approach arguably the toughest part of their schedule this season, and perhaps their biggest problem right now is injuries.
Their offensive line is banged up and defensive end Myles Garrett is playing through pain in his feet.
But Garrett has still been fairly impressive through the first four games of this season, as Cody Suek pointed out on X.
He is first in QB pressure rate (22.8%), first in QB pressures (16), and tied for first in pass-rush grade (94.2).
Garrett, last season’s Defensive Player of the Year, has 4.0 sacks, nine tackles, eight quarterback hits and two forced fumbles so far this year.
He is Cleveland’s defensive anchor, and Cleveland will have to find a way to win with defense if they are to get their season back on track and have a shot at making the playoffs again.
They lost on Sunday to the Las Vegas Raiders, another team with multiple issues, despite getting out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter.
Garrett has acknowledged that he will likely have to have surgery after the end of the season, but for now, he’s playing through the pain for the good of his team.
The Browns will visit the Washington Commanders and Philadelphia Eagles over the next two weeks, and they will then return to Northeast Ohio for two big divisional matchups against the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens.
These four games could very well determine whether they end up reaching the postseason.
