PITTSBURGH —During his Tuesday press conference, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin highlighted the Steelers recent struggles in Cleveland, and their recent struggles vs. Myles Garrett . The Steelers are 1-4-1 in their last six games in Cleveland.
Tomlin thinks the Browns defense is 'the best unit in the entire AFC North.' It all starts with Garrett. They also have a rising rookie star in linebacker Carson Schwesinger .
"They got what appears to be a slam dunk Defensive Player of the Year (Myles Garrett) and they got what appears to be a slam dunk Defensive Rookie of the Year (Carson Schwesinger) in their front seven," Tomlin said. "Myles Garrett has certainly been an issue for us in that venue. I think he's had five sacks in our last two trips, neither that we won."
Garrett currently stands at 22.0 sacks . He needs one sack in the next two weeks to break Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt 's 22.5 single-season sack record. Watt tied Strahan for the record in 2021.
"He's at the doorstep of history. We certainly have respect for that," Tomlin said.
Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett tackling Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson onDec. 8, 2024 — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
Tomlin credited a second go-around with Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwarz for the dramatic increase in sack production for Garrett this season.
Steelers left tackle Dylan Cook has been impressive in his first two career starts, but containing Garrett on Sunday will be an astronomical task. The Steelers will make sure to give Cook help.
"Everybody gets help against Myles Garrett. I just finished watching San Francisco tape. Trent Williams got help," Tomlin said. "Certainly he will get help. Certainly everybody has got help, and it still hasn't slowed down the train. He's still got 22 sacks. I imagine most of those are not one-on-one plays.
"We're going to do our diligence but we're not going to act like or pretend we're reinventing the wheel here. We better put schematics around him, he better play well and we better stay out of one-dimensional passing circumstances, and you still might not stop the bomb from going off. That's been how impactful this guy's play has been this year."
Alan Saunders provided reporting from Pittsburgh.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Mike Tomlin Calls Myles Garrett the Slam-Dunk Defensive Player of the Year: 'He's at the Doorstep of History'
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