Sunday was a pretty bad day for the Cleveland Browns and their fans, as the team got trounced by Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals, 23-10.
The loss dropped the Browns to a 5-8 record, which all but ended any hopes they may have had of making the playoffs in a crowded and deep AFC.
Still, two Browns players stood out well according to Pro Football Focus, and they happened to be the team’s two main pass rushers.
Highest graded Browns in Week 14 vs Bengals:
🥇 Myles Garrett – 92.3
🥈 Jadeveon Clowney – 90.1
🥉 Deion Jones – 78.7
4️⃣ Taven Bryan – 78.5
5️⃣ Perrion Winfrey – 71.9 pic.twitter.com/zAIz02zrxI— PFF CLE Browns (@PFF_Browns) December 12, 2022
Myles Garrett Helped Keep Burrow In Check
Burrow, one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks, didn’t have a great game, as he went 18 of 33 and threw an interception early in the fourth quarter.
Some of that had to do with Garrett’s pressure.
The All-Pro defensive end finished with six tackles (four solo), three tackles for loss, two sacks and two passes defended.
Garrett’s excellence on the defensive side of the football helped give Cleveland a sliver of a chance of competing, even in the fourth quarter, and he held Burrow to a weak 85.3 passer rating.
Jadeveon Clowney Did His Job
Clowney is the second half of Cleveland’s pass rush attack, and he doesn’t get nearly as much attention or publicity as Garrett, a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro First Team selection.
But every great pass rush is at least a two-man job, and Clowney plays his role well on the other end of Cleveland’s front seven.
On Sunday, he had two tackles (one solo) and one pass defended.
Keeping him in the fold past this season (he will be a free agent in the spring) is key to the Browns’ playoff hopes next season.
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