The New England Patriots scored 21 points in the third quarter on Sunday, to power their way past the Cleveland Browns at Gillette Stadium, 32-13. While the win raised the resurgent Patriots’ record to 6-2 and solidified their hold on first place in the AFC East, the victory did not come without a price.
The Patriots allowed Cleveland’s six-time All-Pro edge rusher Myles Garrett to record a historic pass rushing performance.
The nine-year veteran â who signed a four-year, $160 million contract extension to stay in Cleveland before the season â sacked New England’s emerging star quarterback Drake Maye five times, setting both a Browns franchise record for sacks in a game â and Patriots record for sacks allowed by a single defender.
In statements after the game, however, Garrett refused to gloat and had only words of praise for the Patriots’ 23-year-old sophomore signal-caller.
Maye Lights up Leaderboards Despite Sack Frenzy
Browns fourth-year defensive end Alex Wright also picked up a sack, bringing the total number suffered by Maye to six on the afternoon. But it was Garrett who commanded the headlines with his historic and fearsome performance, albeit in a futile cause.
Maye’s passer rating of 135.8 ranked fourth among all starting quarterbacks in Week Eight, ahead of the Monday Night Football matchup pitting the Kansas City Chiefs against the Washington Commanders.
Maye also threw for three touchdowns equaling his career high and lifting him into a tie for third-most in the NFL (15). The former Tar Heel also now leads the NFL in passer rating at 118.7, adjusted yards per pass attempt at 9.69, and completion percentage with 75.2 percent.
Garrett Says He is ‘Proud’ of Maye
Following the game, Garrett spoke to the media and made his feelings clear about his adversary for the afternoon, last year’s No. 3 overall draft pick out of North Carolina, Maye.
“I think he is a great human being. I think he is good quarterback who is soon to be a great quarterback,” Garrett told the assembled press in Foxborough, Massachusetts, as quoted by reporter Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald.
“I like how heâs grown. Itâs nice to be a part of his journey. Hate to be on this end of it, but itâs nice to see how heâs leading his team,” Garrett continued, per Kyed’s report. “Heâs helped them rebuild into what they are now. In a way, Iâm proud of him, and Iâm happy to see his success.”
All-Pro Edge Rusher Makes Frustration Obvious
Garrett’s magnanimous comments came in spite of his obvious frustration over the defeat, in which he also notched five tackles for loss in addition to his five sacks. At one point in his press statement, Garrett appeared to dismiss his historic outing as essentially meaningless in light of the game’s result.
âI would throw that whole performance away for a win,â he said, as quoted by Boston Globe Patriots columnist Ben Volin.
Garrett was also caught by TV cameras sidelines flinging his helmet to the ground in clear exasperation. According to NFL reporter Ari Meirov, Garrett became the first player in NFL history to record five sacks in a game that his team lost by more than three points.
The Browns, despite taking a first-quarter 7-3 lead and trailing just 9-7 at the half, ended up losing by 19 points.
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