Since Pro Football Focus launched in 2006, one franchise has finished with the highest-rated defensive and offensive players in each of their respective categories. The second team might be the Cleveland Browns.
Myles Garrett at the defensive end and Bitonio at guard are at the top of the list heading into Week 9. This image was tweeted by the Pro Football Focus account for the Browns.
The two stars’ ability to maintain these positions until the season’s halfway point is a remarkable accomplishment. Once more, Garrett is a strong contender for Defensive Player of the Year. With 8.0 sacks, he is knotted in second place, just.5 behind the leader.
The greatest in the league, the two-time all-pro has already eclipsed his forced fumble total from the previous season (1) with three.
Garrett made Brown’s history in just six seasons and 73 games. In a lopsided loss to the New England Patriots in week 5, the two-time Pro Bowler broke Clay Matthews’ sack record of 62.
According to ESPN, Garrett will record about 16 sacks overall, which would be a career-high for him in 2021.
On Cleveland’s defensive front, Bitonio continues to be a rock-steady presence. The Nevada native in his ninth season as a pro has a practically spotless record. He has been penalised once and has given up one sack out of 560 snaps, which is second most in the NFL.
He also plays a significant role in the Browns’ ranking as the second-best overall offensive line and best run-blocking unit on Pro Football Focus. Wyatt Teller, one of their stars, isn’t playing, and Jedrick Wills Jr. is coping with 21 quarterback pressures.
There are some interesting parallels between the New York Jets team and the current Cleveland Browns squad.
Both had quite strong records over the first three weeks of their campaigns. The Jets were 3-0, and Cleveland was 2-1. Each afterwards began to lose ground. The Browns lost four in a run while New York lost three in a row. The loss that came before the two streaks ended was also by a three-point margin.
The Jets suffered a 16-13 overtime loss to the Buffalo Bills while the Baltimore Ravens defeated the Browns 23-20. The most unsettling aspect of this may be how thoroughly each team dominated their next opponent; Cleveland defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 32-13 and New York shut out the Oakland Raiders 38-0. The Miami Dolphins are the next team on the schedule after those victories.