Ravens Nearly Succumb to Destructive Browns Superstar

He already led the NFL in sacks this fall with 11 through nine games, having earned 1.5 of those in the Browns' previous matchup against the Ravens in Week 2. Baltimore held serve at home in that game, but that would be their only win before the bye week until their recently accumulated three-game win streak.

That's where the Browns and another round against Garrett returned to focus, with the elusive season sweep over their rivals and a long-awaited chance to claw back to a .500 record hanging in the balance of what initially looks like a mandatory matchup against a two-win squad. And Garrett, entering the game with six sacks over his last two contests, remained as frightening a Lamar Jackson threat as anything that they could have been tested with.

Victory in Spite of Garrett

The Ravens survived the trap game behind a Mark Andrews-powered 23-16 victory, but they didn't exactly fend off Garrett, either. He had his way with Baltimore's overmatched offensive line, personally taking Jackson down four different times with a combination of strength and agility that's next to impossible to stop.

"That's what [the Cleveland Browns] do, and we knew that," head coach John Harbaugh said. "I think we did a great job of, and it starts with Lamar [Jackson] at quarterback. You minimize their big plays because they're going to make their plays, they're going to get their sacks, they're going to get their TFLs. You minimize them and don't let them become really bad plays. Then you find a way to make plays to take advantage of when you get a crack, and you get an opening, because there's vulnerabilities there. And Lamar did that, and the guys did that."

His big afternoon didn't result in a win, as has become the norm for Garrett on the only NFL team he's ever known, but he added to his season lead with 15 sacks to seriously threaten his previous high of 16 with seven games left to play.

Even with Jackson, Andrews and Co. legging out a memorable touchdown in the game's final minutes, they nearly lost due to their inability to remain upright in pass-protection. And that was almost all Garrett's doing; only one other Browns player, defensive tackle Michael Hall Jr., managed to join the star in the sack department.

He, along with Cleveland's stout slew of run-stoppers and pass-rushers, made Jackson's life more difficult than usual in bothering him into a 14-of-25 throwing performance and a pair of interceptions off of some fortunate tips. Though it wasn't enough to seize the day and slow the Ravens' roll through the AFC North, Garrett continues making his case as the toughest individual force that the longtime-contenders have had to stop over the years.