The Cleveland Browns have been inconsistent through the 13 games of the 2021 NFL season.
Players who performed well one week either got injured or had an off week the next game.
There is one notable exception to this general statement.
He is Myles Garrett, the Browns’ defensive end and arguably the best player on the team.
In Week 13, he broke yet another record and became the single-season sack leader in franchise history.
Garrett is putting up the numbers and adding the leadership.
For these reasons, he should be in the NFL MVP conversation.
Just because he should be in the conversation does not mean he necessarily will be.
Here are the reasons why he may not be one of the names mentioned.
1. He Is Not A Quarterback
This award could be nicknamed the “Quarterback MVP” because that is who wins it year after year.
The logic is simple; quarterbacks have the largest burden to change the course of a game with their level of play.
That same logic can be applied to Garrett.
How the Browns defense goes has a lot to do with how he plays and leads.
What did he do last week that exemplified his leadership?
He publicly challenged the focus of his teammates in preparation for the Ravens.
How did they respond?
They made huge plays at key times and so did he.
He broke the Browns single-season sack record in the best possible way.
MYLES GARRETT FOUND THE ENDZONE pic.twitter.com/7Dn1NzREb5
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) December 12, 2021
Garrett created a strip-sack, recovered the fumble, and ran it into the end zone for his first career NFL touchdown.
That is walking the walk and talking the talk, and it is MVP worthy.
#Browns fans chanting M-V-P as I talk to Myles Garrett after this one… his big takeaway today: there’s nothing wrong w/ having to “grind it out.”
— Aditi Kinkhabwala (@AKinkhabwala) December 12, 2021
2. He May End Up As NFL Defensive Player Of The Year
Garrett will certainly be in the running for NFL DPOTY.
For that reason, it seems unlikely that the NFL would recognize him two times and in different ways.
His peers who have previously earned DPOTY honors never made a strong run at NFL MVP so it seems like a norm that is not going to change even if it should.
Conclusion
No one said it better than Myles Garrett when he put the Browns success over his own accolades
No one made a play like his signature strip sack that changed the entire game.
No one else could've set the Browns season sack record and willed the them to victory too.
Different. pic.twitter.com/SU1Jf9KRtJ
— Nick Karns (@karnsies817) December 13, 2021
Though Garrett earned this level of recognition, he has made it clear that he does not give individual honors a lot of thought.
He is motivated to win a Super Bowl for the city and its fans.
Myles Garrett: "Nothing matters if we don't make the playoffs. DPOY is nice, but I want to be remembered for bringing Super Bowls here. I know Bake does and everybody else does… The city will remember a Super Bowl. I win DPOY and we don't win anything, our names won't go down."
— Hayden Grove (@H_Grove) December 10, 2021
“Nothing matters if we don’t make the playoffs. DPOY is nice, but I want to be remembered for bringing Super Bowls here. I know Bake does and everybody else does… The city will remember a Super Bowl.”
He is not wrong, but if there is an opportunity for the team to achieve those goals and for Garrett to be recognized individually, that would be a great scenario also.
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