Things are already heating up as the Browns are set to face off against their divisional rivals, the Baltimore Ravens, in Week 2. The most excited to give Lamar Jackson’s team a losing streak is star DE Myles Garrett. Just a few hours before stepping on the field, Garrett unleashed his competitive spirit, giving the two-time NFL MVP a stern warning. 

“I kinda look at myself more as a monster, I try to go out there and terrorize,” said Garrett on the NFL on CBS. So, Jackson better be prepared ’cause he won’t be facing the Browns’ superhero but rather his supervillain. 

Garrett and the football field are known to be a mythical combination. Over time, he has built a reputation as a Marvel Superhero, though some may call him Batman of the DC universe. In high school, he was legit called “Superman,” which changed to “Flash” in college because of his speed. But he plans to escape that ‘hero’ reputation, and rather reinvent himself as a Supervillain—more like Darkseid. He plans to execute this superplan by terrorizing his opponents in the Week 2 rivalry matchup. This is even more interesting because of the Browns’ underdog status against the Ravens. 

It’s not a few points deficit but a whole 11.5-point deficit. And that boggles Garrett’s mind. “It definitely goes through my mind when we’re working throughout the week,” said the defensive end. If we peek into the pages of history, Baltimore does hold a better record against Cleveland at 37-15. Yet, the four-time All-Pro is ready to turn the odds in his favour. “I want to go down there and play spoiler, that’s about it,” he added. 

As for the Ravens, things appeared gloomy for a moment when Jackson’s status for Week 2 was questionable. But his head coach, John Harbaugh, confirmed that the QB is “doing fine,” after practicing without restrictions. This means he is confirmed to start against the Browns. This time, he’ll also have a star like Derrick Henry, who wants to establish the Ravens’ offense well. Though his duo with Jackson ought to be deadly, Garrett alone brings a boatload of distress. The guy hasn’t even turned 30 and already reached the milestone of 100+ sacks (104.5 to be precise), becoming the first player in history to do so at 29. But it isn’t like the Ravens don’t have a realisation about it. 

“[They have a] physical and aggressive defense, [a] smothering type of a defense, man coverage, [they] mix it up, run out and play zone, try to disguise on you a little bit and a heavy pass rush,” Ravens’ HC Harbaugh said about the Browns. So what’s the strategy to defeat them? Break through the defense. Whatever the outcome would be, this divisional clash would certainly be worth watching. 

Myles Garrett embraces rivalry week

It wasn’t long ago when the star pass rusher requested a trade from the Browns, citing his desire to add a ‘Super Bowl champ’ title on his wall of accolades. But that was before the team locked him till 2030 in a whopping $160 million contract in March—one of the highest paid deals signed by an edge rusher. Though not much has changed in Cleveland this offseason, and again, they started the season with a loss. Yet, Garrett’s allegiance to the team truly erupted when asked about facing their rivals, the Ravens, in Week 2. 

“I think we played him well,” he responded when asked if the Browns had played well against the Ravens over the years. Still, their losing record always reminds the Browns to push harder. Garrett also admitted that rush rules become more “emphaized” when preparing to face Jackson’s Ravens. “[Lamar Jackson] He’s the most athletic quarterback that we’ve ever seen, so you got to make sure that you don’t let him escape to his throwing hand,” he explained. 

But of course, it’s not ‘Garrett vs Jackson,’ so facing the dual-threat quarterback isn’t the only thing that excited the pass rusher for Week 2. It’s Henry, Roger Rosengarden, Ronnie Stanley, and Zay Flowers. Garrett calls them the “best competition,” which brings him a great adrenaline rush. And Garrett isn’t the only one excited; the entire locker room was eagerly waiting to be hosted by the Ravens.