Myles Garrett is one sack away from NFL history. On the other side of the ball, the 3-11 Browns are just searching for competence.
Garrett has 21.5 sacks this season, one short of the record currently shared by Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt. Garrett has recorded at least one sack in eight straight games, and in his pursuit of Josh Allen today he’ll look to become just the third player with a nine-sack streak since the sack became officially recognized as a stat in 1982.
A week after getting drubbed in Chicago, 31-3, rookie Shedeur Sanders makes his fifth start for the Browns in windy conditions. Sanders was intercepted three times last week, but he’ll again look to rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr. as his top target as the Browns search for a spark. Sanders has targeted Fannin 36 times in his four starts; the next most-targeted player during that time is Jerry Jeudy with 16.
The Cleveland offensive line will again be without veteran guard Wyatt Teller, who returned to practice but will miss a third straight game due to a calf injury. Veteran right tackle Jack Conklin was placed on injured-reserve Saturday due to lingering effects of a concussion. Neither Conklin nor Teller is under contract for next season.
KT Leveston again starts at right tackle and Teven Jenkins will again be at right guard for an offensive line that’s struggled mightily in recent weeks.
The Browns today are also without Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward (calf), tight end David Njoku (knee), running back Dylan Sampson (hand), defensive tackle Sam Kamara (elbow) and defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr. (illness). Myles Harden starts in Ward’s place, and the Browns promoted defensive tackles Keith Cooper Jr. and Maurice Hurst from the practice squad with Hall and Kamara out.