Although they just beat the Baltimore Ravens, the Pittsburgh Steelers can’t celebrate for too long. They have to play the Cleveland Browns in only a few short days. The Browns are at the bottom of the AFC North but taking them lightly would be foolish. They lost quarterback Deshaun Watson to a season-ending injury, but they did regain running back Nick Chubb. Returning from a devastating knee injury sustained early last season, Chubb is still getting back into the swing of things. Just don’t tell Steelers DC Teryl Austin that.
“I think this will be my seventh, eighth one, Cleveland game, being here, and really that game kind of goes how [Nick] Chubb goes,” Austin said Tuesday via the team’s transcripts. “And if he’s running the ball well and he’s really effective against us, we don’t do so well.
“He’s a big part of what we’re trying to do in trying to stop him because he’s coming back, really looks sharp. Still strong, runs through tackles, got great vision. He’s got all of our attention.”
That has been true of the Browns over the last few years. Since being drafted in 2018, Chubb has continued to ascend in this league. Before his injury, he was one of the NFL’s best running backs. This year, he hasn’t really enjoyed that same dominance, but some of that is likely due to the Browns’ offensive struggles.
Fans will likely remember the unfortunate circumstances that led to Chubb’s injury. In Week 2 last year, Minkah Fitzpatrick went to tackle him and caught him directly on the knee. It was one of the uglier injuries in recent memory, and it’s amazing that Chubb managed to come back to play football at all. Still, that injury isn’t so easy to bounce back from.
In four games this year, Chubb has rushed for only 163 yards and one touchdown on 53 carries. The Browns’ offense has been putrid, often playing from behind, so it isn’t surprising that he hasn’t had a truly incredible performance yet. That doesn’t mean the Steelers need to let that happen.
There’s no reason to allow Chubb to find his stride this week. Austin is correct to still devote so much time to stopping him. At 2-8, it isn’t like the Browns has much else going for them offensively. Quarterback Jameis Winston hasn’t looked terrible, but the team’s general dysfunction has knocked the offense off its rhythm.
All that is to say, don’t underestimate Chubb. The Ravens game had a lot of emotions attached to it, so the Steelers shouldn’t allow themselves to overlook the Browns. If Chubb gets going, then the Browns could easily gain confidence. In a hostile environment on the road, that is not a situation the Steelers want to be in.
