Dogg Pounded: Can the Cleveland Browns win without Nick Chubb?

Photo Credit: David Richard - Associated Press

The Cleveland Browns suffered a crushing defeat to the in-division rival Pittsburgh Steelers 26-22 on Monday night. Cleveland allowed not one, but two defensive touchdowns in the game; one on the first play of the game on an interception thrown by Deshaun Watson to Alex Highsmith, and a fumble recovery by TJ Watt at the hands of, guess who? DeShaun Watson. 

 Cleveland had commanding control of the game defensively, holding the Steelers to one offensive touchdown and 55 yards on the ground to the tune of 2.6 yards per carry, according to ESPN. Cleveland also dominated offensively, generating 408 yards, 198 of them coming on the ground. Those two critical turnovers to start and end the game caused Cleveland to lose the game, but more importantly, their season may be in jeopardy.  

While attempting to pick up a first down in the red zone, 4x Pro Bowler Nick Chubb planted his foot into the ground; as he was being tackled by All-Pro Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, his leg bent the wrong way, and as a result, he tore his MCL, LCL, PCL, and has cartilage damage. The Browns confirmed Chubb will be out for the season, and he may potentially need two surgeries.  

With Deshaun Watson still working his way back into Pro Bowl form, the Browns rushing attack was their bread and butter. Nick Chubb is arguably one of the best running backs in the game, and his injury is a brutal blow to Cleveland’s plans to win the division this season. One has to wonder if the Browns can run by committee, or if Deshaun Watson can return to form sooner than later and lead this team to a playoff spot in a tight division that is the AFC North.