Browns rookie Martin Emerson Jr. impressed by Myles Garrett’s desire
The pain was obvious almost every time Myles Garrett went to the bench during Sunday’s win over Tampa Bay. That didn’t stop him from inflicting pain on the Buccaneers.
Garrett was involved in two of the biggest plays of the 23-17 overtime win. The first was when he and Jadeveon Clowney forced a punt by sacking Tom Brady on third-and-13 from the Buccaneers 17 with less than 2:30 remaining in regulation to set up the Browns’ game-tying drive.
The second one came on another third-down play, this time with just under 3:30 left in overtime. Garrett broke through a sacked Brady again, this time forcing a punt that set up the Browns’ game-winning drive.
“Myles, he’s the ultimate competitor,” cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. said on a Zoom call Monday. “He’s going to give it everything he’s got every time he steps on the field. And that’s a guy that I want to go to war with and play behind and battle with. He turned it on and he made some great stops for our defense that we needed.”
Garrett, though, acknowledged in the postgame press conference that the pain extreme during Sunday’s game. The primary focus was on his left shoulder, which he injured in his September car accident.
That injury forced Garrett to miss the Browns’ Week 4 game at Atlanta. He didn’t discount the possibility of offseason surgery on the shoulder, but wasn’t interested in talking about anything in-season.
Coach Kevin Stefanski said Monday the Browns have been monitoring Garrett since the injury originally occurred. He stop short of saying there was a chance the All-Pro defensive end could sit out a game, such as next Sunday’s at Houston.
“I mean with any decision like that, you’re always making sure you’re protecting the players and making smart decisions, talking to the medical professionals, those type of things,” Stefanski said. “So we’ll continue to do that. I don’t know that that’s what’s gonna happen here. He’s continuing to battle through what all our guys are battling through, which is not feeling 100%.”
Good, bad news on Browns’ cornerback concussions
Stefanski had a mixed bag with regards to the Browns’ injury situation at cornerback. He said that A.J. Green, who left Sunday’s game in the first half, is in the concussion protocol.
Green had started the last two games as the slot cornerback. That was due in large part to a concussion sustained by Greg Newsome II on the Friday prior to the Buffalo game.
Stefanski said Newsome was still in the concussion protocol as of Monday. However, he believed the second-year cornerback was “trending in the right direction.”
Donovan Peoples-Jones sees improvement in punt return game
The five punt returns Donovan Peoples-Jones had against Tampa Bay matched the number he had the entire season entering the game. However, he made the most of the five he had against the Buccaneers.
Peoples-Jones averaged 15 yards a return on his five punt returns Sunday. That included a 29-yard return in the second half.
“I feel like I am getting better,” Peoples-Jones said Monday. “I feel like I am improving. The guys really were helping me out a lot yesterday with the blocks and opening up lanes for me to cut through. That definitely played a part in my confidence in the return game yesterday, as well.”
Peoples-Jones’ average per return went up to 10.7 yards thanks to the day against Tampa Bay.
Front-row seat for David Njoku’s one-handed TD catch
Peoples-Jones was in prime position to see one of the biggest catches of the season. That was tight end David Njoku’s 12-yard, one-handed touchdown catch with 32 seconds remaining in overtime.