Revenge is a dish best served cold. For Myles Garrett, a snowy Cleveland night was the perfect time for him to put on a show. With three sacks and upset win over the Pittsburgh Steelers as T.J. Watt laid an egg on the stat sheet, Garrett vaulted himself ahead of Watt in the NFL Defensive Player of the Year discussion as both players are seeking to win their second trophy.
After the win, Garrett made it clear he – not Watt – is the best pass rusher in football. Comments and feelings that all stem back to February and Watt’s reaction to Garrett winning the award over him last season.
“What happened was T.J. Watt poked the bear when he tweeted at those NFL Honors awards last February,” Browns beat writer Mary Kay Cabot said Tuesday on the Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show. “That really stuck in Myles’ craw. It hurt him. J.J. Watt, his brother, kinda chimed in on that. Myles firmly believed that was his moment. They stole his thunder. T.J. stole his thunder.”
Aware ahead of the ceremony that Watt wasn’t going to win, he and his wife skipped the NFL Honors extravaganza. Right after Garrett edged Watt for the award, receiving four more first-place votes and beating him in the new Heisman-scoring system, Watt sub-tweeted about the snub.
Big brother J.J. Watt was more diplomatic but repeatedly went to bat for T.J. winning the award before and after the ceremony.
Intentional or not, Garrett viewed it as a dig at him. The idea that he wasn’t worthy to win and shouldn’t get to enjoy the moment.
“He’s never thrown shade at a T.J. award,” Cabot said. “I think he was really, really upset by that. He used that as fuel in that game. And boy did it work for him.”
Last week, J.J. Watt made clear he had “zero problem” with Garrett and that the Watts’ ire was directed at the voters and the system, not Garrett. Still, it did little to smooth things over.
By the end of the first half, Garrett had racked up three sacks on QB Russell Wilson. He became the first Browns defender with three sacks against Pittsburgh since Courtney Brown in 2000, the team’s second season back in the league. After Week 12, Garrett’s 10 sacks tie him for third in the league. Pittsburgh will face the league leader this Sunday in Cincinnati Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson, who has 11.5.
Though the story has taken a life on its own that it probably shouldn’t have, even elite players like Garrett find and use all the motivation they can. He responded with a career game against Pittsburgh. Watt will have the chance to respond in two weeks when the Steelers and Browns meet again.
