CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Myles Garrett gets to go home this weekend when the Browns take on the Cowboys in Arlington, Texas.
He hopes to return to Ohio with another win.
"We have to see where we are and who we are," Garrett said Friday afternoon on a Zoom video conference with reporters. "This will be a real test for us. They are better than their record right now. They are definitely a solid team with the weapons they have on offense and defense, and I feel the same way with us.
"We have to go out there and prove that we are a solid team, as well, and that we can bang and battle with anybody in the NFL."
Garrett and the Browns are feeling confident, but not cocky, coming off back-to-back wins over Cincinnati and Washington that pushed the franchise above .500 in a season for the first time since Dec. 2014.
"We are in a spot that I have heard 100 times that we have not been in for six years," Garrett said. "Guys are kind of hungry to keep the success going. We are definitely going to try to leave out of their place with an L [for the Cowboys], no matter what we have to do within the rules and just play hard and play physical and just attack them and pressure them and make them win it."
Over the last two games, Garrett has recorded three sacks, upping his career total to 33.5 in 40 games, forced two fumbles and recovered one.
His strip sacks in the second half against the Bengals and Washington helped turn the tide in both games but he'll have his hands full Sunday trying to chase down Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, who leads the NFL in passing.
"We have to make sure we corral him and keep him in the pocket, knowing that he has the ability to get out of the pocket and make some plays with his feet either downfield or getting actual yardage running," Garrett said. "He is a talented player. He is worth a lot to that team, and he has proven his worth day in and day out over there. We have to make sure that we do not allow him to make those big plays that he is accustomed to making and make sure that we are on our P's and Q's with our rat holes and where he can escape."
This won't be the first time Garrett will play in front of family and friends at AT&T Stadium, AKA 'Jerryworld.' The Arlington native said he has already played four times in the building – three in college and once in high school.
"Given the opportunity to play in front of them, which is 10-15 minutes down the street, that is a blessing," Garrett said, "and I hope to be able to come out of there with a win."
Like quarterback Baker Mayfield, who lives in Austin, Texas, Garrett isn't trying to put any more importance on this game than any other.
"Other than it being a Dallas game and me being able to go back home, I do not give it more importance than this – they are a good team and we are a good team, and we have to settle this," Garrett said. "That is how it is every week. I will be able to have more family and friends there because of back home and I get to play the Cowboys and have seen them on Thanksgiving growing up for years, but at the end of the day, they are just somebody in the way at this point. We have to get a win. Someone's record has to change."
