Nick Chubb has led the Browns before. Can he do it again in his first game back in 398 days? (Cleveland Browns)
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is an analyst of the Cleveland Browns for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
Four downs on Browns (1-5) v. Cincinnati Bengals (2-4)
First down: Mr. Chubb returns.
When Nick Chubb lie on the ground in Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh 398 days ago, surrounded by teammates and Pittsburgh Steelers kneeling in prayer, nobody knew if he’d play football again, including himself. His left knee was so grotesquely bent on a low hit by Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick that ESPN declined to show replays. The same knee had undergone major reconstructive surgery eight years earlier while at Georgia. Chubb wrote in The Players’ Tribune that he thought, “They might not be able to put me back together again this time. This could be it.” Chubb needed surgeries in October and November to repair the ACL, MCL, medial capsule and meniscus in the knee. And after rigorous rehabilitation that included some dark days, Chubb is back. He will make his 2024 debut against the Bengals, a team against which he has rushed for 903 yards and 7 touchdowns in 10 games in his career. Chubb’s return comes at a dire time for the Browns, who have lost four games in a row while sporting the worst offense in the NFL. This being the Browns’ first game of the year against a division foe, teammates and fans hold faint hope that Chubb’s return can spur a revival. “He’ll be that spark for us,” Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah said. “We can’t wait to see that.” Added Myles Garrett, “There are not many people more loved in the history of Cleveland more than Mr. Chubb. So, I think it’ll have a hell of an effect.” Chubb’s take: “I want to do whatever I can to help us win Sunday. However that looks like. If I’m just bringing energy to the crowd. If that helps us win then I’m all for it.
Second down: Joe Cold in Cleveland.
They call Joe Burrow Joe Cool in Cincinnati because of his composure performing under pressure. But in Cleveland, Burrow has been Joe Cold. He has not won in three games on the lakefront, losing by scores of 35-30, 32-13 and 24-3. In those games, Burrow completed 76 of 127 passes (59.8%) for 630 yards, 5 TD, and 1 interception. He was sacked 10 times and compiled a passer rating of 82.4 – significantly off his career mark of 99.7. Burrow is 1-2 against the Browns in Cincinnati. Don’t think the Browns take this hex over him for granted. “There’s not a lot of quarterbacks like Joe,” said Garrett, who has 3.5 sacks of Burrow in the three games in Cleveland among his career total of 12 against the Bengals. “It’s only maybe two or three in the tier that he’s in. I would say absolutely [he] brings out your best, you have to. He’s sitting confidently in the pocket, he’s healthier than ever, he’s one of the most accurate quarterbacks in the game right now and has been for a while. So, we’re going to have to be very focused on our jobs and executing because he’s going to do everything he can to get it to his playmakers.”
Third down: Corner challenge.
Part of the success against Burrow has been due to the play of the Browns’ cornerbacks and safeties covering and hitting Burrow’s favorite targets – Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. But they have not played consistently well this year, prompting defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz to challenge them this week. “That’s a really, really good group that hasn’t been playing really well,” Schwartz said. “A little bit like us on defense, that’s the way we’ve been playing. We’ve been playing really good at times and not so good at times. Our corners lead us, and for us to get where we want to go defensively, they need to get back to playing consistent football the way that they have in the past.” Added cornerbacks coach Brandon Lynch, “I think he’s spot on. We talk about holding our best players the most accountable, and our best players, some of them on defense, are certainly in that room.”
Fourth down: No change at QB.
Everyone, it seems, wants to see the Browns demote Deshaun Watson except for the people who matter. Watson is the only starting quarterback this year who has not had a 200-yard passing game and the Browns are the only team that hasn’t topped 20 points in a game. The Browns have scored one touchdown in their last 29 possessions. Watson ranks 28th in passer rating at 76.6. In an exhaustive analysis of Watson’s season, ESPN analytics expert Bill Barnwell wrote that Watson’s Total QBR (whatever that is) ranks 558th out of 566 quarterbacks since the metric was invented in 2007. Other analysts have opined the Browns should get out of the Watson contract by paying other teams to trade for him – in draft picks, salary compensation and also offering Garrett in the deal as further bait. All of which prompted Chubb to say this week, “I couldn’t imagine what he’s going through. Everyone always knows what’s going on in his life. That’s hard. But to see him go out there still compete and give his all says a lot about him, who he is. I think guys around him need to fight harder for him and with him.”
The Pick: Bengals 30, Browns 17.
My record: 4-2.