The fact that premier quarterbacks don't take the field simultaneously doesn't stop the masses from pitting them against each other.
It makes sense, then, that the same goes for the league's greatest pass rushers.
When the Browns host the Cowboys in Week 1, All-Pros Myles Garrett and Micah Parsons will play in the same NFL game for the first time, sure to draw comparative graphics throughout the contest -- even if outperforming one another Sunday isn't Garrett's main concern.
"I'm really focused on us and what we're doing," Garrett said Friday, per the team transcript. "No doubt I'll be watching. He's a hell of a player and if he busts out a move, I might take it during the game and use it myself. But it's not a matter of one-upmanship. I'm worried about how we can control the game and dominate the line of scrimmage when we're on the field. But while they're out there, going to be rooting for the offense, but paying attention to what they're doing, see if I can help the tackles or the guards based off what I'm seeing from them, what they're getting from him individually and studying him and his game in first person."
Garrett, the elder of the two with four more seasons of experience, had made two Pro Bowls and an All-Pro team before Parsons entered the NFL in 2021.
The two pass-rushing mavens have combined for a perfect six Pro Bowls in three seasons, four All-Pro campaigns (two each), and five top-five finishes in the Defensive Player of the Year race since then.
Parsons has finished second in voting twice, and last season placed third.
Garrett, though, who has 46 sacks to Parsons' 40.5 during that span, is the reigning DPOY. He earned such an honor despite producing two fewer sacks than each of his two previous seasons, still racking up 14 but also causing maximum mayhem with his presence and demand for attention from opposing offensive lines.
Their teams have benefitted immensely from their services, as well. Both made the Wild Card Round last year, with the Browns sporting the top defense in yards allowed and the Cowboys ranking fifth in both yards and points surrendered.
Regardless of the number of dazzling highlights by Garrett or Parsons come Sunday, the ultimate goal will be to return to the playoffs and advance farther this time around.
Perhaps holding his title as the NFL's best defender, entering the season having already one-upped all other one-uppers, makes it easier for Garrett to preach that aim and the team-oriented approach.
Even so, he's still fully aware of Parsons challenging him for the crown.
"I'd hope he wants to win," Garrett said regarding Parsons stated desire to break through for a Defensive Player of the Year campaign of his own. "He's a hell of a competitor. He's a great athlete and a great advocate for this game. So I want that kind of confidence from him striving for greatness. I wouldn't want him to say anything else. That makes me know that he's going to give 100% and, you know, duke it out, let's see what happens. But it's not me playing against Micah, it's our teams playing each other and at the end of the day, hope he does well, just not Sunday."
