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CLEVELAND, OHIO – DECEMBER 07: Myles Garrett #95 of the Cleveland Browns warms up prior to a game against the Tennessee Titans at Huntington Bank Field on December 07, 2025 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images)
In the previous two outings for the Browns, against the Raiders and 49ers, the team’s defensive front had allowed just 151 yards on the ground–combined. In their previous three games, the Titans had been abysmal running the ball, with 189 yards rushing–again, combined. There was little evidence suggesting, then, that Tennessee would coming into Huntington Bank Field on Sunday and pound the Browns defensive front with rushes.
But that’s what they did, rushing for 184 yards on 35 carries, an average of 5.3 yards per attempt in a 31-29 win. This from a team that averages 3.9 yards per attempt against a defense that was averaging 3.7 yards allowed, the best in the NFL.
For Browns defensive star Myles Garrett, it was all very baffling. Coach Kevin Stefanski said after the game that it did not look like the Browns defense. Garrett could not argue the point.
“I don’t even know what to tell you. It’s just … I mean, I agree with him,” Garrett said. “It’s not who we are. It’s hard to tell you right now what it was, if it was one thing in particular – but it just wasn’t us.”
Myles Garrett Says Schedule Will ‘Define Us as Men’
The Browns are now 3-10. Whatever could be said of the expectations for this season, with the level of talent on the defensive side of the ball and some promising offensive rookies, 3-10 was not where this team was supposed to be.
There are still four games to play, and after the disappointment of the loss to the now 2-11 Titans, Garrett was asked how the team can bounce back and still put up good efforts going forward.
“Same thing I always tell them: Prepare to win,” he said. “Prepare. Work hard. Don’t change anything about, your preparation, your focus, your routine from the beginning of the year till now. This is setting us up for the rest of the year and next year, how we choose to handle these games. It will define not only our team but us as men.”
Browns Closing Schedule Is Tough
It’s a pretty heavy message, and the Browns do not have an easy path from here. They close with the Bears and the Bills, followed by the division-rival Steelers and Bengals. Combined, those teams are 29-23, and only Cincinnati is under .500, at 4-9.
But the Browns are coming off a 3-14 season and it would be a psychological blow, at the least, if they were to finish with three wins in back-to-back years.
GettyCleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders taunted the Titans after a touchdown.
Myles Garrett Approved of Shedeur Sanders Showing
Of course, the big=picture story for the Browns for the rest of the season is Shedeur Sanders, and whether he can make enough of a case to remain the starter in 2026. He threw for 384 yards on Sunday, and led the team back into the game after the Titans had taken a 31-17 lead. It was only Stefanski’s bizarre decision to try 2-point conversions that cost a chance at overtime.
Sanders has plenty to show down the final stretch. He’s impressed Garrett.
“I think he looked good. I mean, he came up big when we needed him to,” Garrett said. “There’s going to be some ups and downs for anyone, especially a rookie. But he went in there and he looked composed, he escaped out of some sacks, broke the pocket, made some big-time plays. And just looking for him to continue to grow, looking for that clock to speed up a little bit, but it looks more and more at ease each week.”
Sean Deveney is a veteran sports reporter covering the NBA, NFL and MLB for Heavy.com. He has written for Heavy since 2019 and has more than two decades of experience covering the NBA, including 17 years as the lead NBA reporter for the Sporting News. Deveney is the author of 7 nonfiction books, including “Fun City,” “Before Wrigley became Wrigley,” and “Facing Michael Jordan.” More about Sean Deveney
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