Myles Garrett didn't have 'the elves' talk with Ja'Marr Chase, but key sack spoke volumes

CLEVELAND — Defensive end Myles Garrett maneuvered past two blockers and brought down quarterback Joe Burrow to ensure “the elves” had the last laugh on a rainy Sunday afternoon at Cleveland Browns Stadium.

“Myles being Myles, man,” Browns linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. told the Beacon Journal. “Your best players making their best plays at the best times, and he's our best player.”

Garrett's clutch fourth-down sack of Burrow forced a turnover on downs with 10:27 left in the fourth quarter, and quarterback Deshaun Watson threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to tight end Harrison Bryant three plays later to seal the Browns' 24-3 victory over the AFC North rival Cincinnati Bengals in the 2023 regular-season opener.

“It is frustrating because I called [the Browns] elves, and we just lost to some elves. So I'm pissed on my part,” Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase said in the visitors locker room.

Last week, Chase provided bulletin-board material when asked about the hype surrounding the Browns by saying “Cleveland is Cleveland” and calling the team “the elves,” a reference to Brownie The Elf.

On Friday, Garrett called Chase's “elves” comment “disrespectful” and said he might discuss it with the two-time Pro Bowl receiver. A chat between the two never materialized.

“I only saw [Chase] once, and that was in passing, so if I saw him after the game I would've said something. I only saw Joey [Burrow],” Garrett said during a news conference after the Browns won their second consecutive season-opening game and the first one at home since 2004.

Did “the elves” banter have an impact on Week 1?

“Impact? No, I mean, I guess it gives you a little chip on your shoulder, something in the back of your mind, but I wouldn't say it had too much of an impact,” Garrett said.

Browns cornerback Greg Newsome II has other thoughts on Ja'Marr Chase's comments

Browns cornerback Greg Newsome II had had a chip on his shoulder, too. He tweeted “Cleveland is Cleveland” in the afterglow of victory Sunday evening.

And earlier in the home team's locker room, Newsome said he took Chase's comments personally.

“Oh, yeah, I take everything personally for sure," Newsome said. "We just use it as an edge for us, but at the end of the day we've got to go out there, prove it, show it.

“You've got to earn respect, and that starts this week. And we've got to keep on doing it every single week.”

Browns safety Juan Thornhill was inactive Sunday with a calf injury, but he tweeted, "The Cleveland Elves definitely showed up to play today."

This is reminiscent of former Pittsburgh Steelers receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster saying "The Browns is the Browns" before Cleveland's AFC wild-card playoff win in Pittsburgh during the 2020 season.

But the bottom line is the Browns defense dominated a team whose offense led it to the AFC Championship Game last season and the Super Bowl two seasons ago.

Did the rain on Cleveland's lakefront create slick conditions? No doubt, but not enough to excuse the Bengals for finishing with a meager 142 yards of offense (75 rushing and 67 passing).

In Jim Schwartz's debut as Cleveland's defensive coordinator, the Browns compiled two sacks (Garrett and defensive end Ogbo Okoronkwo tallied one apiece), 10 quarterback hits (Garrett and defensive end Za'Darius Smith each had four) and four passes defensed.

“[The Bengals] have a very explosive offense, and they have very skilled players in each position,” Garrett said. “So this was a big one for us to see where we're at, and we really showed what we can do. We've set the bar high, and this is the standard. We've got to continue to improve from here.”

A four-time Pro Bowl and two-time first-team All-Pro selection, Garrett put the exclamation point on the stellar outing with his sack.

Browns coach Kevin Stefanski, linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. tout Myles Garrett for clutch sack

“That did seem like it was the final one that we needed,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said.

Trailing 16-3 and facing fourth-and-4 from the Cincinnati 31-yard line, Bengals coach Zac Taylor elected to go for it. Garrett lined up at left defensive end, rushed around right tackle Jonah Williams and through running back Trayveon Williams as he attempted a chip block. Then Garrett grabbed Burrow and finished the sack — the 12th of his career against the Bengals and eighth on Burrow. The turnover on downs gave the Browns possession at Cincinnati's 18.

“I was a bit surprised just because it seemed a little bit early in the game [for the Bengals] to go for it in that situation, but I've just got to make the most of the opportunity,” Garrett said. “When that big moment arrives, big stars got to show up.

"I knew the chip was coming, and I was just trying to get him a bit off balance, so I could get some separation between the tackle and the chip. And I was able to chop [Williams'] hand down and slip the chip, and I saw Burrow trying to roll out, so just bent it as much as I could.”

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The No. 1 overall draft pick in 2017, Garrett is a huge reason the Browns have won nine of their past 11 games against the Bengals. He has more sacks against the Bengals than any other opponent.

“For him to say, 'I'm going to be Myles Garrett, and I'm going to go make a play for our team knowing that we need it,' I expected nothing less from him,” Walker said. “Obviously, my reaction was what it was because he got chipped, he got pushed inside, and I [admire] just his determination, his heart just to go find a way. And he did it, and that's what we expect of him. So no doubt that's just the player that he is.”

What was Walker's reaction? He explained he told fellow linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, “Oh, my God! Did you see that?”

Garrett, however, stopped short of declaring he had put the final nail in the Bengals' coffin.

“I wouldn't exactly call it the play to clinch it, but it was definitely a big moment in the game,” Garrett said. “You just try to do your best to show up in those moments, and I couldn't do it without [my teammates] rushing hard and being dominant in their individual positions.

“Those guys were applying pressure and [the Bengals] had to account for them. And I was just able to make the play when it mattered.”

Not too shabby for a bunch of "elves" from Cleveland.

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Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: With Myles Garrett sack, Browns win; Ja'Marr Chase 'pissed'