Shedeur Sanders arrives for Browns, but Myles Garrett and Carson Schwesinger continue to make cases for league awards: Ashley Bastock

CLEVELAND, Ohio — In the midst of Sanders-mania and a crushing loss, it was another Browns rookie and a cornerstone of the franchise that made sure they were also grabbing some headlines on Sunday evening.

Rookie QB Shedeur Sanders, son of Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, made his NFL debut on Sunday in the second half as the Browns fell, 23-16, to the Ravens on Sunday.

While it has been a long-awaited moment for the fan base, the Cleveland faithful also won’t soon forget the performances from both star edge rusher Myles Garrett and rookie linebacker Carson Schwesinger, even in a disappointing 2-8 year.

On Sunday, both continued to make their cases for end-of-season awards — Garrett for his second NFL Defensive Player of the Year award and Schwesinger for the Defensive Rookie of the Year award.

Three weeks after setting a franchise record with 5.0 sacks against the New England Patriots, Garrett finished with 4.0 sacks against Lamar Jackson and the Ravens on Sunday.

Three of those sacks came in the first half. On the first Ravens’ drive, a third-and-goal Garrett takedown for a loss of 4 yards blew up a Baltimore drive and held them to a field goal at a key moment.

The second Garrett sack was for a loss of 9 yards on the first play of the Baltimore drive that began at the Ravens’ own 29 early in the second quarter.

Garrett switched sides from his usual right and came off the left, something the Ravens didn’t account for. The sequence rattled them enough that it certainly helped contribute to the pick-six the Browns got from linebacker Devin Bush on the very next snap.

Garrett’s third sack of the half came on Baltimore’s final drive in the second quarter, when Garrett appeared out of the action until rookie DT Mason Graham helped force Jackson back into the pocket. Garrett didn’t give up on the play and took the QB down for a loss of 2 yards.

He picked up where he left off on the first drive of the second half, with his third sack on third-and-3 as Baltimore began the third quarter with the ball.

For the season, Garrett is now up to 15.0 sacks. He’s firmly in contention for the sack title, and in the DPOY discussion because of it.

Schwesinger, meanwhile, was disruptive in his own way.

He had five tackles over Cleveland’s first two defensive series. He served as their primary spy going up against the mobile Jackson, and once again showed off his sideline-to-sideline mobility.

The rookie’s highlight play came with 4:28 left in the third quarter.

After the Browns offense lost the ball when Sanders threw a pick, Schwesinger responded by picking off Jackson on a ball intended for tight end Charlie Kolar. It was a great heads-up play after DT Mike Hall Jr. got a hand on the low pass and tipped it.

It was Schwesinger’s second pick of the season, the first coming against New England in Week 8.

Schwesinger has continued to come on quickly in this defense. Not only is he leading the team in tackles and calling the defense currently, but he is fighting through a high ankle sprain he suffered against the Patriots to even play in the last two weeks.

The year may not be going as planned for Cleveland, but Sunday once again showed that the defense is still one of the tops in the league, and that Garrett and Schwesinger in particular are playing on another level.

And as the game wore on, both made sure this one won’t just be remembered for a QB debut — but for a defense continuing to set the standard in Cleveland.

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