Pittsburgh Steelers OT Broderick Jones will face his biggest test of the season on Sunday when he goes up against Cleveland Browns EDGE Myles Garrett. The 2023 NFL Defensive Player of the Year has four sacks this season after 14-sack campaigns the last two years, and Jones said on Wednesday that “mindset” is going to be key to slowing down Garrett.
“I feel like that’s 90% of the battle. Just not getting in your own head before it’s time and just going out there and playing the game,” Jones said via 93.7 The Fan on Twitter.
Jones offered a lot of praise for Garrett, whom he called a “freak of nature.”
“What doesn’t set him apart — that’s the question. He’s just an amazing player all around. Plays the run, plays the pass. He’s just a freak of nature, so you got to do everything you can to slow him down,” Jones said via ESPN’s Brooke Pryor on Twitter.
With Jones moving over to the left side, this is the first time in his career he’s going to face Garrett for the majority of the game. Garrett is one of the most prolific pass rushers and defenders in the league, and he had four of his 14 sacks against Pittsburgh last season. He has six sacks in his last three games against the Steelers, and not letting him disrupt the game and hit Aaron Rodgers is going to be key for the Steelers to win.
It’s a huge test for Jones, who hasn’t had the best start to the season. He can turn his season around with a big day on Sunday, and not psyching himself out going up against Garrett is something he believes will be important. He can’t just treat Garrett like any other pass rusher, but he can’t put him on a pedestal either. Having the right mindset to win every snap is something that Jones is going to work on, and keeping that mindset throughout the game will be important, even if he struggles early.
If the Browns are able to pull off the upset at Acrisure Stadium on Sunday, Garrett will likely be a big reason why. The Browns’ defense has played well this season despite the team’s 1-4 record. Getting after Rodgers and disrupting the flow of Pittsburgh’s offense is something Cleveland has the potential to do, and the onus will be on Jones to not let Garrett, in particular, wreck the game.
He seems confident in being able to do so, and just keeping that confidence throughout the week and into Sunday could play a big role in the outcome.
