Myles Garrett threw some serious shade at T.J. Watt after Browns' TNF win over Steelers

Although the Cleveland Browns sit in last place in the AFC North division, star defensive end Myles Garrett had the pleasure of spoiling the party during a snowy divisional clash on Thursday Night Football. 

The Browns managed to pull off a 24-19 upset victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers at Huntington Bank Field partially due to the efforts of their star pass rusher.

Garrett entered the game with plenty of motivation to outperform Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt, who felt slighted when Garrett was named the 2023 AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year in February. The Steelers pass rusher elected not to attend the NFL Honors Show, but he expressed his displeasure with the decision on social media.

In the days leading up to the Week 12 matchup, Garrett addressed Watt’s comments about the award.

“I’ve never complained about the trophy not being at my house and vice versa,” Garrett said during a press conference. “He shouldn’t be feeling two ways about knowing it’s going to me. … It’s up for grabs this year, and we’ll see the best man win.”

Myles Garrett took shots at T.J. Watt after dominant performance

On the field, Garrett made his case to win the award over Watt once again. Although Watt entered the game narrowly edging out Garrett in sack totals for the season, that didn’t last long. 

Garrett compiled three sacks, all in the first half, to go along with three tackles for loss and a forced fumble. Watt didn’t enjoy nearly the same amount of success, finishing with just four tackles and one tackle for loss.

After the game, Garrett made it clear that he believes he’s the better pass rusher.

"I got a lot of respect for him, a lot of respect for all the guys over there," Garrett said of Watt. "But I'm number one. And that's what I am, Edge 1, to defensive player of the year. I'm the guy. It's still me. There's no other person being defended like I am, or schemed or played against like I am."

The Cleveland star now has 10 sacks through 11 games, making him just the seventh player to record 10-plus sacks in seven consecutive seasons. Only Hall of Fame defensive end Reggie White has accomplished the feat in eight straight seasons.

Although Cleveland has fallen out of postseason contention, they aren’t content on coasting through the rest of the regular season. Four of their remaining six games are against AFC teams that currently hold a playoff spot.

The unexpected loss dropped Pittsburgh to an 8-3 record, trimming the lead they had taken over the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North. Watt and the Steelers will have an opportunity for revenge when they host the Browns for a rematch in Week 14.