The NFL 2023 season is midway already. The fans are most concerned about the teams, and the pundits are about the statistics. But there are some aspects of the game that even the biggest fans or pundits will never catch. Only seasoned players who are a part of it week-in-week-out can spot those. One is the team’s offensive or defensive prowess, often nonstatistical outputs.

Not many know about that better than Cleveland Browns‘ Myles Garrett. The 2020 and 2021 All-Pro defensive tackle was part of the Pat McAfee show yesterday and had his views on the never-ending offense-defense debate. He, however, only represents an elite level of athlete. So, there are both sides to his view.

Myles Garrett hints at a power shift in the NFL

Myles Garrett is the epitome of an ideal-looking defensive player. The 6-foot-4 DE recently won the PFF’s mid-season Defensive Player of the Year award, beating names like Nick Bosa and Micah Parsons. And for a reason, as his 94.6 pass rush is the highest in the league by a large margin after Week 8.

And it comes with a value as high-flying Garrett was invited to the Patt McAfee Show recently. On a question from host McAfee, the DE answered that the defense has come up to even things recently. He insisted that the defensive players were finding a power balance, dominated mainly by the offensive players in the past.

“I think defenses are catching up and we’re finding a power balance in the NFL,” said Garrett, insisting they were not falling short of the offensive units, which is, for the most part, true. But can it be generalized for the entire league?

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Garrett represents an elite squad of defensive players, and his words speak to value. Have the league’s defensive unit performed well in the past years, considering players like him and Bosa, who are favorites to win tackles? Is every defensive player as effective as the Browns’ Myles Garrett?

To answer that question, we may have to take the statistics path. And it turns out that Garrett is correct when accounting for the past two years specifically. While the direct answer to the above question is no, the relevant stats midway through the season are impressive. According to the NFL’s site, this season, teams have improved in terms of allowing fewer yards and rushing averages, but there have been more sacks compared to last season.

Browns on top

Garrett’s Browns have allowed the least yards in 2023 with 234, the Eagles have the lowest allowed rushes/G at 66.3, and we have 35 sacks after half of the season is over. The same numbers for 2022-23 are 300.6, 76.9, and 70; for 2021-22: 272.8, 84.5, and 55; and for 2020-21: 281.9, 80.6, and 56. While there had been a rise in the number of sacks, and the allowed yards had not been consistent enough during the 2020-2022 period, it’s been on a constant drop since. Last season improved in both rushing and sacking departments from the previous one, indicating an upgraded defense, and it looks to be the same this year.

Maybe the day is close when defensive players like Garret and Bosa will be the biggest superstars in the league, not Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, or Tyreek Hill. Maybe not. But the defensive players will make up for it in the matches, pushing to win every duel against the leading quarterbacks, defying the odds.

The change looks to have started, and it’s not all about just hitting hard anymore. The tide is turning due to the rising skill levels on the defensive side, and these athletic freaks handle that well. The football fans are in for an exciting future.

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