The Cleveland Browns were able to pick up a solid victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 14, winning 31-27 on their home field. They made life difficult for the Jaguars’ offense throughout the afternoon, constantly putting pressure on the hampered Trevor Lawrence.
Lawrence suffered what looked to be a serious ankle injury on Monday Night Football against the Cincinnati Bengals last week. He was able to power through the injury and be on the field Sunday afternoon, but he was a little off at times and the ankle could have certainly played a part.
The consistent pass rush the Browns administered also played a part. Cleveland had four sacks in the game but none were compiled by star defensive end, Myles Garrett. Instead, it was Za’Darius Smith, Grant Delpit, Maurice Hurst II and Ogbo Okoronkwo who got to Lawrence in the game.
NFL News & Rumors: Myles Garrett & Cleveland Browns Updates
While Garrett was certainly happy to see his teammate succeed and the team move to 8-5 on the season, he did have some frustrations to voice after the game. He is the latest player to rip into the performance of the referees, calling them out for how they officiated the game against the Jaguars.
“That could have been more. The officiating was a travesty today. It was honestly awful,” Garrett said. “And the fact that they’re letting them get away with hands to the face, holding false starting. I know they called a couple, but damn, they could have called it all game.
“It’s a hard job, but hell, we have a hard job as well. You can’t make it harder by throwing, holding, and hands to the face out the rulebook,” Garrett said. “I got a lot of respect for those guys, but we get scrutinized for the plays that we don’t make. So someone has to hold them accountable for the plays or the calls they don’t make. And they need to be under the same kind of microscope as we are every single play,” said Garrett after the game.
NFL News & Rumors: Myles Garrett & Cleveland Browns Updates
The referees have been the subject of many discussions in recent weeks. They have been doing an underwhelming job as too many games are being decided on ticky-tack flags being thrown.
In some instances, blatant violations are being missed that change the outcome of the game. That compounds when they are making calls when there isn’t really an infraction being committed.
Garrett isn’t the first player to voice concerns with the referees and he certainly won’t be the last. Luckily for him and the Browns, it didn’t end up costing them in the end as they pulled out a victory and are now the No. 1 Wild Card team in the AFC.
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