CLEVELAND — Of all rookie running backs who have played for the Cleveland Browns since their founding in 1946, no one has rushed for more yards than Nick Chubb, as he set the franchise single-season record in Sunday’s 26-18 win over the Cincinnati Bengals at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland.
Chubb rushed for a game-high 112 yards on 19 carries, which gave him 972 yards on the season.
“Someone came and told me, but it was not really on my mind,” Chubb said.
“It comes with having great play from everyone on the field. Guys start breaking records and doing great things as a team. It is a team effort, and I think we do a great job of blocking up front and opening up holes for me to achieve these goals.”
Chubb broke the old mark for rushing yards by a rookie that was set by Trent Richardson during the 2012 season. Richardson rushed for 950 yards on 267 carries, while Chubb eclipsed his yardage total on 84 less attempts.
Although Chubb played in more games, 15, than Jim Brown did, 12, when he set the original standard in 1957, the first-year rusher needed fewer carries than the Hall of Fame running back, 183 to 202.
“I keep saying that I do not want to jinx him,” interim coach Gregg Williams said.
“You see how strong he is on securing the football? I have been around a lot of guys that do not get that. Since he walked in the door, did not have to spend much time. Not only is he powerful and not only does he have good vision but just look at the instincts of protecting the ball. That is excellent.”
Chubb’s longest run of the game against the Bengals was a 22-yard burst that moved the ball from the Cleveland 26-yard line to the 48 late in the first quarter. Later in the first half, Chubb broke off a 20-yard run.
Chubb finished the game with three of the Browns’ 10 longest plays of the game, and it is getting to the point now where teammates are expecting something good to happen every time the first-year back gets the ball.
“Every game, oh yeah, we believe that,” Williams said. “We believe it is just a matter of when he is getting ready to pop one. When you have that style or that ability, you can’t get frustrated knowing that it is going to come next.
“It is going to come next. Don’t look back. Look forward. It is going to come next. He does a good job with that, and the staff does a good job with that, too. They really do a good job with keeping him in that mode.”
Quarterback Baker Mayfield added, “I think that is the type of running back he is. He chips away. Some of those four or five-yard runs are very close to being long ones like that. You are just kind of waiting for it to happen, and today was one of those days where it happened frequently.”
Perhaps no one takes more pride in the success of the running back more than the linemen who block for him, and the men in the trenches for the Browns want to see Chubb finish off the year on a high note, by becoming the first rookie in franchise history to eclipse 1,000 yards rushing.
“Chubb’s been doing a hell of a job for us,” center JC Tretter said. “We want to just keep it going. We’re going to get him to 1,000 (yards) next week and keep everything rolling.”
