The Cleveland Browns pulled off a scrappy 13-10 Week 6 win over a Baltimore Ravens team playing without quarterback Lamar Jackson to improve to 4-2 for the season. After conceding 10 first-quarter points, the Browns’ gritty defense held the Ravens scoreless for the rest of the game, surprisingly taking control of the AFC North midway through October.

After the Browns’ stunning win, former Cleveland wide receiver Jarvis Landry lavished praise on the AFC North team’s defense.

Jarvis Landry Hails Cleveland Browns’ Gritty Defense

During Monday’s segment of the “4th and South” podcast, Landry highlighted the role of the Browns’ defense in the team’s good form despite losing edge rusher Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams in a blockbuster trade.

“I said this last week, the Lord is my witness, ‘If Snoop plays and Lamar Jackson doesn’t play, the Baltimore Ravens are going down,'” Landry said. “Look, look what happened. I was nervous as hell, and by halftime, I think they only had 60 yards, and I’m thinking to myself, ‘Man, Todd Monken has spent too much time in the Baltimore Ravens’ organization not to know what matchups to exploit or not.’

“Like, there’s no way we can get this offense rolling. And lo and behold. We had three running backs out, we had other guys stepping up, which said a lot. And I can’t say enough about Cleveland’s defense. This might be the best defense that I’ve seen, again, with no Myles Garrett.

The Browns traded Garrett to the Rams in exchange for defensive end Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick, and a 2029 third-round pick.

Garrett had established himself as the NFL’s best defensive player, earning seven Pro Bowl nods, five First-team All-Pro selections, and winning two NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards, including last season when he broke the NFL single-season sack record.

Even as the Browns’ defense has thrived this season, Garrett made only one appearance before landing on injured reserve, generating five pressures but recording no sacks or tackles in the Rams’ Week 1 loss to San Francisco.

In Week 6, the Browns held the Ravens to 235 total yards, allowing them to convert just 6 of 16 third-down attempts in the game.

Browns defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg was hired earlier this year, and under his stewardship, Cleveland has earned a PFN Defense Impact score of 75.8 (No. 17 in the NFL) this season.

Cleveland started head coach Todd Monken’s first season in charge in the spotlight after polarizing quarterback Deshaun Watson won the team’s QB1 job over Shedeur Sanders, but the criticism has died down as the Browns have made a good start to the season.