Going into the Week 12 AFC North showdown between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns, one of the hottest storylines of the week was centered around Steelers star edge rusher T.J. Watt’s reaction to Browns star edge rusher Myles Garrett winning the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2023.
To be quite honest, it was a dead issue until Garrett touched on the subject during the week, saying he wanted an apology for Watt publicly stating his disappointment with not winning the award last year.
“I’ve never complained about the trophy not being in my house and vice versa. He shouldn’t be feeling two ways about it going to me,” Garrett said during the week.
“No, he didn’t say nothing to me,” Garrett added on the situation with Watt. “He’s got to apologize to me when I see him.”
Watt responded to Garrett but didn’t directly address the Browns star’s demand for an apology.
“I have respect for everybody in the league. Obviously, he’s a guy who has been a top pass rusher in the league for a long time. But I don’t compete directly against him. It’s our team versus their team, and at the end of the day, I just want the Pittsburgh Steelers to come out with a win,” Watt said.
When it was time to take the field on Thursday night, it was Garrett who got the last laugh. Not only did the Browns win, but Garrett notched three sacks during the first half, including one that forced a fumble that Cleveland recovered. Meanwhile, Watt was shut out in the sacks department.
After the game, Garrett expressed his respect for Watt, but made it quite clear he believes he’s the best in the game.
“We spoke at the coin toss, but that’s about it,” Garrett said. “Like I said, I’ve got a lot of respect for him, a lot of respect for all the guys over there and he’s one of the best edge rushers in the league, but I’m No. 1.
“And, that’s from edge defender 1, edge 1 to Defensive Player of the Year. I’m the guy, that runs through me. There’s no other being defended as I am, schemed or planned against like I am. So, it just goes to show, you can throw it out the window, I’m going to find a way.”
While Garrett got the better of the Steelers on Thursday night, the Browns are still on the road to nowhere with a 3-8 mark. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh is still comfortably on its way to the playoffs at 8-3.
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