Cleveland Browns, Myles Garrett off to flying start

CLEVELAND — Myles Garrett vowed to put the past — and a regrettable incident — behind him. This was going to be a different season for him and the Cleveland Browns.

A new beginning.

So far, Garrett has kept his word.

He had another dominant performance Sunday, getting two sacks and forcing and recovering a game-sealing fumble in the fourth quarter as the Browns beat Washington, 34-20, to improve to 2-1 for the first time since 2011.

Three games into 2020, the Browns have a winning record. While that wouldn’t cause a ripple in a lot of NFL cities, this is Cleveland after all, where the beloved football squad has produced mostly misery and hasn’t been over .500 since 2014 — a span of 90 consecutive weeks.

It’s a nice turnaround for the Browns, and it’s an impressive one for Garrett, who was suspended for the final six games in 2019 after his infamous helmet-swinging incident on Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph in the closing seconds of a game.

But while not forgotten, the moment inspired and motivated Garrett to be better, and the star defensive end has been everything the Browns could have hoped. All of Cleveland’s best players — Garrett, Odell Beckham Jr., Nick Chubb — made plays.

“We are counting on those guys,” coach Kevin Stefanski said. “As coaches, we try and put them in spots to succeed. Those guys are really talented football players, and I am counting on them and their teammates are counting on them, and they come through. That is the nature of this beast.”

For the second week in a row, Garrett, who spent the week hearing about Washington’s rookie defensive star Chase Young, delivered the kind of play that had been missing from his resume before this season.

With Cleveland holding a 31-20 lead, Garrett got around Washington tackle Geron Christian Sr., grabbed quarterback Dwayne Haskins and knocked the ball from his hands before grabbing it. The Browns added a field goal to put it away.

“Big-time players make big-time plays,” quarterback Baker Mayfield said of Garrett, who made a similar momentum-shifting play against Cincinnati a week earlier.

Garrett did his part in a complete, all-around effort by Cleveland, which hasn’t had many of those in recent years. The offense clicked. The defense forced five turnovers and the special teams units, which have had their issues early on, did their jobs.

“In this one, we just put it all together,” Garrett said. “That is real team ball, complementary ball that we played. I am proud of how we all came together.”