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First Call: Browns' social media stokes T.J. Watt vs. Myles Garrett debate; Jimmy Garoppolo injured vs. Steelers | TribLIVE.com
Steelers/NFL

First Call: Browns' social media stokes T.J. Watt vs. Myles Garrett debate; Jimmy Garoppolo injured vs. Steelers

Tim Benz
Tim Benz

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Chaz Palla | Tribune-Review
Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt returns a fumble against the Cleveland Browns for a touchdown Sept. 18 at Acrisure Stadium.

The Cleveland Browns’ social media account appears to be baiting the hook for a debate with Pittsburgh Steelers fans over T.J. Watt and Myles Garrett. Local stars were on display during the Rams-Bengals game on Monday night. Jimmy Garoppolo is in concussion protocol after getting knocked around by the Steelers.

Plus, we check in with a former Steeler who is dealing with disappointment in Las Vegas.

All that in Tuesday’s “First Call.”

Maybe a bit much

T.J. Watt flashed again for the Steelers on Sunday night in Las Vegas. He had two more sacks, boosting his league-leading total to six as the Steelers won 23-18.

But Myles Garrett really stood out with 3.5 sacks for the Cleveland Browns against the Tennessee Titans. He’s now third in the league with 4.5 sacks.

That performance encouraged the Browns social media department to make this post.

“Myles and then everybody else”? Really?

Well, it has been everybody else for Defensive Player of the Year. Such as Watt and Nick Bosa the last two years, and Aaron Donald three times since 2017. Not to mention potentially Micah Parsons, who has been putting on a show for more than two years in Dallas.

But, specifically, as a comp to Watt, didn’t Watt just have four tackles, a sack, a pass break-up, and a fumble return for a touchdown against the Browns last week? Meanwhile, Garrett had only one tackle in his team’s loss to the Steelers.

And didn’t Watt have a four-sack game against Cleveland in 2021?

Yeah. Garrett’s good. But saying it’s him and everyone else is nonsense.

Familiar showdown

Pitt products and former WPIAL stars Tyler Boyd and Aaron Donald squared off in the Super Bowl two years ago. They just did so again on “Monday Night Football.”

Donald made his usual contributions for the Los Angeles Rams along the defensive front, including this sack.

Along with that sack, Donald totaled seven tackles, two for a loss. Boyd had five catches for 39 yards.

Ex-Steeler Mike Hilton aided the cause for Cincinnati with this tipped pass that ended up getting intercepted by Logan Wilson. For Wilson, it was interception No. 2 on the night.

Another ex-Steeler, Ahkello Witherspoon, had a nice interception of Joe Burrow.

Cincy ended up winning the game 19-16 to improve to 1-2. The Rams fall to 1-2.

Jimmy G. update

It appears Jimmy Garoppolo was injured against the Steelers on Sunday night. The Las Vegas Raiders quarterback is in the NFL’s concussion protocol following his club’s 23-18 loss. However, he never left the game to be evaluated.

Raiders coach Josh McDaniels is saying that’s because he’s not sure specifically when Garoppolo was injured.

“I’m not even sure what hit or if it was just an accumulation of (hits), I have no idea,” McDaniels said Monday. “There was never a conversation about that, so I’m not sure, exactly, and I haven’t seen him yet this morning, so I’m not exactly sure when it took place, or if it was just a culmination of things.”

There is a presumption by some that the injury occurred on Minkah Fitzpatrick’s fourth-quarter sack of Garoppolo. It was a play that was flagged for roughing the passer. But Garoppolo stayed in the game and delivered a touchdown pass to Davante Adams three snaps later.

Garoppolo was sacked four times as he completed 28-of-44 pass attempts for 324 yards and two TDs with three interceptions.

More sports

• Simplified approach leads to best running game of season for Steelers in win over Raiders
• 5 things we learned from win in Vegas: Steelers specialize in 'splash' on defense
• Phil Jurkovec's health a concern; Pitt loses injured tackle Matt Goncalves for the season

Former friend

Ex-Steeler Robert Spillane offered this assessment of the Raiders’ loss to the Steelers.

“We’ve got to be tough, to get off blocks and make tackles. Playing the run in the NFL, that’s the formula through and through. We didn’t do a good enough job of that tonight — getting off the field. So, back to the lab we go, and onward and forward we go,” Spillane said.

Actually, the Raiders weren’t that bad on third downs defensively. They stopped the Steelers nine times in 15 tries. And in terms of the run game, the Raiders held Pittsburgh to 3.4 yards per rush.

In terms of the emotional component of facing his former team, Spillane admitted that he still has a fondness for the Black and Gold.

“I got a lot of respect for those guys starting at the top of the organization and all the way down,” Spillane said. “Love Coach Tomlin, love Minkah. Those are some of the closest relationships I’ve formed on the football field over the years, so I’m thankful for my time there, and we just got to get things cleaned up and keep pushing forward.”

Vegas’ next game is at the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday. Spillane leads the team with 28 tackles. He had seven against the Steelers.

Tim Benz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tim at tbenz@triblive.com or via X. All tweets could be reposted. All emails are subject to publication unless specified otherwise.

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