Brimming with confidence after putting up 224 rushing yards on the Baltimore Ravens in Week 3, Detroit Lions offensive coordinator John Morton noted Thursday that his upcoming opponent, the Cleveland Browns, have not yet seen a rushing attack like theirs.
Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, the star of Cleveland's top-ranked defense against the run, pointed out the next day that the same goes for the Lions.
"He's entitled to his opinion. He hasn't seen a defensive front like ours," Garrett said of Morton. "He's entitled to say what he wants and we have the privilege to see who's right. I think it'll be a battle of ideologies, and I think our DC (Jim Schwartz) also has some things to say, and we have to be the ones to put it into action. We have to meet and see who's right."
Schwartz, whose only head coaching job in the NFL came with the Lions from 2009-2013, has indeed been cooking up ferocious game plans against the run.
The Browns are have allowed the fewest total yards per game (204.3), but they're especially stout defending on the ground. They are allowing an average of 57.3 rushing yards per game through three weeks, are the only team not to allow a run of 12-plus yards and have also given up the fewest runs for first downs (nine), per NFL Research.
Cleveland's Week 3 comeback win over the Green Bay Packers marked the first time an opponent eclipsed 50 rushing yards against the unit thus far, and no one would claim running back Josh Jacobs (1.9 yards per carry) or anyone else on Green Bay was particularly effective.
It was against those Packers, in their season opener, that the Lions had the most trouble finding traction on the ground. They only managed 46 rushing yards, but have since looked transformed back to their old selves in every facet of offense, and across the past two contests racked up 401 rushing yards.
Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery have led that charge, taking turns doing damage as usual, and head into Sunday's matchup as the only running back teammates with three-plus rushing touchdowns apiece in 2025.
For all his confidence in his defense, Garrett did give those two and the Lions their props.
"I won't take away anything from the offensive line," he said. "They are getting after guys, moving guys. They like to be aggressive and really stick to blocks. Them doubles happen, getting guys out of the way like we saw in the Ravens game. The diversity they have in the backfield with (Nos.) 0 and 5 really makes them difficult to handle."
Still, Garrett is not unused to defusing such threats.
"It's gonna be a physical battle," he said. "We're not unaccustomed to those kind of matters being in the AFC North, so gotta go in there with the helmet buckled and ready to go. It's gonna be a physical affair for the four quarters. … Looking forward to it being as physical as they want to."
Garrett added: "They want to run the ball as much as possible and we love stopping the run."
On Sunday at 1 p.m. ET, an unstoppable force meets an immovable object -- Detroit's rushing attack versus Cleveland's front seven.
One will come away with an "I told you so."
