With a “serious” knee injury, Nick Chubb of the Browns is probably done for the season.
Pittsburgh –Amari Cooper, a wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns, continued to shake his head in shock. It took some time for quarterback Deshaun Watson to find the words. “It f—ing hurts,” defensive end Myles Garrett also said.
Cleveland’s “Monday Night Football” loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers was 26–22. However, the game’s defeat seemed insignificant in the Browns’ locker room following it in comparison to Nick Chubb’s passing.
In the second quarter, the All-Pro running back had to be taken off the field due to what coach Kevin Stefanski described as a “severe” injury to his left knee. When asked by reporters following the game if he thought Chubb would miss the remainder of the campaign, Stefanski said, “I do.”
“Obviously it’s a huge loss,” Cooper said. “Nick is the engine of the team. Best player on the team. … I’m very sad for Nick, sad for this team losing Nick. Not only is it not ideal, it’s a tragedy.”
On a 5-yard run to the Steelers’ 3-yard line, Chubb hurt his knee after Pittsburgh defender Minkah Fitzpatrick collided with him during a tackle. As Chubb was being carried onto the cart, players crowded around him from both teams.
Chubb underwent surgery on the same damaged left knee in 2015 after rupturing his MCL, PCL, and LCL while playing for Georgia.
Longtime friend of Chubb’s, Watson, observed, “It was tough at that point.” “I got a lot of flashbacks to the [injury] he suffered in college after we watched the [stadium] replay.”
Chubb had accumulated 64 running yards on 10 carries before exiting the game. Four seasons in a row, including a career-high 1,525 yards last year, he had gained more than 1,000 yards through rushes.
Along with Adrian Peterson, LaDainian Tomlinson, Emmitt Smith, and former Browns great Jim Brown, Chubb is one of just five players in NFL history to have at least eight running touchdowns in each of his first five seasons, according to data from ESPN Stats & Information.
Chubb is a tote the rock every time he gets the ball, according to Cleveland defensive end Za’Darius Smith. “That portion has vanished as of late.”
The Browns’ offense faltered for the remainder of the game without Chubb. In the third quarter, Jerome Ford, who took his position, ran 69 yards for the game’s winning score. However, Cleveland was never able to score again. And the game-winning touchdown was Pittsburgh’s second defensive touchdown of the evening.
In the second half, the offense seemed to be without its star rusher, according to Browns All-Pro guard Joel Bitonio.
