Myles Garrett elevates over Colts in 'big moments when you got to make a play' for Browns

INDIANAPOLIS — Jedrick Willis Jr. didn't even let the questioner finish his question. All the Browns offensive tackle had to hear was the words "Myles Garrett" and "do you watch" before having an answer all ready to go.

"I already know what you're about to say," Wills said Sunday. "It's hilarious. I love to see it on Sunday. Love to see it on Sunday."

The Browns emerged from Indianapolis with a 39-38 win over the Colts on Sunday. The record will indicate they won the game on Kareem Hunt's 1-yard touchdown run with 15 seconds remaining, at the end of an 80-yard match that started with 2:35 remaining.

Anyone who watched the full proceedings knows the Browns gave themselves a chance to win it because of the way All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett played. Specifically, it was the way Garrett made plays that impacted not just in the moment but had a ripple effect beyond the play.

"I mean, I like my chances," Garrett said. "Can't stress about anybody where there's one, two guys, three guys. I'm going to continue to keep on battling. As long as he has the ball, I'm going to keep on rushing. And those big moments when you got to make a play, I'm ready to step up, and we all are on the D line."

Garrett had not one, but two strip sacks of Colts quarterback Gardner Minshew II in the first half. The first, late in the first quarter, set the Browns up to tie the score 14-14 two plays into the second quarter.

The second, which happened in the end zone, was recovered by linebacker Tony Fields II for a Browns touchdown. That gave them a 24-21 lead with 1:42 left in the half.

“Dude plays and he plays really hard," Minshew said. "I thought our guys did a good job fighting with him most of the game, but it got like that. A couple of plays can really change, and that's where I got to do a better job of just taking care of the ball when he does make those plays.”

Garrett, though, may have saved his most impressive feat for special teams. Matt Gay lined up for a 60-yard try with 10:16 remaining in the second quarter, but the attempt never had a chance to make it through the goal post.

That's because Garrett literally leaped over the Colts line without seeming to touch a soul. That put him right in front of Gay as the kicker connected with the football, which almost immediately connected with Garrett's hands for the block.

"I've actually done it a couple of times throughout the years," Garrett said. "Every now and then just to keep our offense or keep our special teams honest, just for fun. I think (special teams coordinator/assistant head coach) Bubba (Ventrone) went into the archives and saw it and he was like, 'Yeah, we got to bring this out.' And we had a candidate in the Colts who allowed us to jump over and I made the play."

Garrett's teammate, defensive end Za'Darius Smith, acknowledged that made one person who could've made the play. Smith, himself a former basketball player at a younger age, said there was a conversation to make him the one to try the play.

Smith said it was a short conversation.

"So at the beginning of the week, they was like, 'Man, we're going to have to put somebody in there, whoever played basketball,'" Smith said. "And they was like, 'Z, you played basketball.' But I was like, 'No, I don't have it anymore.' And Myles went for it for the first time at practice, man, and he jumped over the guy and it was like, wow. So a big play for him, man, big play for this team, man. I'm glad he had the opportunity to show the world that."

Denzel Ward recovered the block kick and ran it back to the Colts 26. From there, Dustin Hopkins made a 44-yard field goal — the first of four field goals — to give the Browns a 17-14 lead.

Garrett's block, though, may have helped give him the lead in the Defensive Player of the Year race. Coupled with two sacks, two forced fumbles, nine tackles, a tackle for loss and two quarterback hits, it certainly is leading the race for his best game of the season, although that's up for interpretation.

"I don't know," Garrett said. "I'm sure it's up there. But who says the next one can't be even better?"

Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on Twitter at @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Myles Garrett makes big plays in big moments to lift Browns past Colts