The postgame handshakes between the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers could be somewhat awkward on Sunday.
Browns star defensive end Myles Garrett and Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph were involved in one of the most infamous moments in recent NFL history last year during a Week 11 contest.
Rudolph did not appreciate a hit from Garrett which, after a scuffle, eventually resulted in Garrett swinging Rudolph's own helmet at his head.
Garrett was asked about possibly clearing the air with Rudolph on Sunday, though he said he is trying to focus on the task at hand:
“Haven't thought about it… I'll cross that bridge when we get to it,” Garrett said, via Hayden Grove of cleveland.com. “We'll cross that bridge when we get there.”
There was plenty of fallout from the aforementioned event.
Garrett was suspended indefinitely by the NFL, a pretty obvious move considering he swung a blunt-force object at someone's head.
While the Browns defensive end apologized and acknowledged wrongdoing, the former No. 1 overall pick later insisted Rudolph had shouted racial slurs at him. Rudolph denied the allegations vigorously, accusing Garrett of attempting to disparage his character.
The issue seemed to eventually be swept under the rug, though it will be interesting whether the two come together on Sunday.
Garrett has been a force of nature this season, racking up 6.0 sacks and three forced fumbles through the team's first five games. Pro Football Focus graded him as the best edge-rusher in football.
Myles Garrett grade/rank among edge defenders:
🔸 91.4 PFF pass-rush grade (1st)
🔸 27 total pressures (1st) pic.twitter.com/3VIf33e2hG— PFF (@PFF) October 6, 2020
Rudolph, meanwhile, has been relegated to a backup role behind Ben Roethlisberger, though he is still making noise for his dating exploits.
In any case, Garrett is focused on leading the Browns to a 5-1 start, and letting the rest take care of itself.
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