Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb exited Sunday’s matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs early due to injury.
Chubb exited the game midway through the third quarter. He limped off the field and was taken to the locker room shortly after. The Browns diagnosed it as a foot injury and he was dubbed questionable to return.
“Hate to see it, especially with how hard he’s worked to get back on the field,” one fan said.
Another added: “This is why I was against Nick Chubb coming back this year. I think that’s the same side he had the knee injury on. It’s all kinetic. Browns organization has to look at everything from top to bottom this offseason.”
Chubb’s injury came during a rough outing. He had nine carries for 45 yards before the injury. However, Chubb was also in the mix on a pair of third-quarter turnovers. On one play, the ball went off Chubb’s hands and was intercepted. He also fumbled — a rare occurrence for Chubb. He has fumbled just six times in his career.
Browns running back Jerome Ford took over the lead back duties with Chubb out. He quickly made an impact, finding the sideline on a run and rumbling 62 yards to make it 21-7.
Browns Were Shifting to Split Between Nick Chubb, Jerome Ford
Chubb entered Sunday’s matchup with 291 yards and three touchdowns. He was averaging just 3.1 yards per carry.
The Browns have started to balance the workload more evenly between Chubb and Jerome Ford, with the duo splitting carries almost equally recently. Head coach Kevin Stefanski noted that the distribution may fluctuate depending on the game plan each week.
“We trust really all those guys in there. And there will be some moments where you lean into Nick for certain schemes and certain moments and there’ll be times when you lean into Jerome,” Stefanski said after a loss to the Denver Broncos. “I think it’s really based on a bunch of different factors.”
Ford took over as the lead back last season with Chubb out following a season-ending knee injury in Week 2. He notched 813 yards and four touchdowns last season, adding 319 receiving yards and five more touchdowns.
The Browns have averaged just 88.5 yards per game on the ground, ranked 30th in the NFL.
Browns RB Nick Chubb Faces Uncertain Future
Chubb is playing out the final year of his contract, leaving the Browns with a pivotal decision to make about the future of their backfield. If it were up to Chubb, he wouldn’t wear another jersey during his NFL career.
“I started here. I’d like to finish here,” he said. “Cleveland just means a lot to me. Everything we’ve been through, ups and downs, but I’m proud to be drafted here.”
There’s been some talk about Chubb potentially shutting it down with the postseason out of reach for the Browns. However, Chubb — who has a contract laced with incentives — isn’t ready to pack it up for the year.
“I have a long way to go before I shut anything down,” Chubb said Wednesday. “Every time I go out there, it’s practice reps, game reps, it’s me just getting better physically, mentally, all around. So I’m nowhere near shutting it down. Not even a thought.”
It’s still to be determined how serious the foot injury is for Chubb and if he’ll miss time. The Browns face the Bengals next week.
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