In preparing for Browns, Steelers to again face one of NFL’s best running back duos
Nick Chubb had more than 5,000 yards from scrimmage, including 4,769 rushing yards at Georgia. That he is the SEC’s No. 2 all-time leading rusher comes as no surprise to Steelers coach Mike Tomlin.
“It seems like he was at Georgia forever,” Tomlin said, “and he did it for a long time in the SEC. So I don’t think we are seeing anything new from him.”
Except, perhaps, his running mate.
While in college, Chubb had future first-round running back Sony Michel as a backfield mate. Now Chubb has an equally talented partner with the Cleveland Browns, who face the Steelers on Sunday at Heinz Field.
Kareem Hunt has joined Chubb in forming what might be the NFL’s best running back tandem.
“(Chubb) is pretty good,” defensive coordinator Keith Butler said. “Kareem Hunt has been good for them. They’re using him in a lot of different ways and are now probably expanding the plays for the personnel group. They’ve been pretty good at doing it.”
An added wrinkle is Chubb and Hunt have spent plenty of time on the field together — 59 of the Browns’ offensive snaps (28% of their total) over the past three games, to be exact.
Chubb and Hunt have combined for 455 yards from scrimmage in the three games since Hunt made his Cleveland debut. For basis of comparison, in the three games before facing the hapless Cincinnati Bengals last week, five Steelers running backs combined for 317 yards from scrimmage.
When the Browns beat the Steelers two weeks ago, Hunt and Chubb outgained four Steelers running backs, 150-95.
The Cleveland Browns' Nick Chubb is quietly becoming one of the NFL's premiere backs.https://t.co/SIQim2Et6T
— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) August 7, 2019
For the season, the Browns rank fifth in the AFC in rushing yards per game (124.2). It’s been a better average since Hunt made his Browns debut three weeks ago. Hunt was suspended for the first eight games of the season for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy.
“Nick Chubb is Nick Chubb,” Tomlin said. “He’s one of the top rushers in the league. They’re one of the top rushing teams in the league. You know, the addition of Kareem Hunt has done nothing but accentuate that.”
In his only full season in the NFL (as a rookie for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2017), Hunt made the Pro Bowl. If the Browns would have made Chubb their featured back from the beginning of his rookie season last year, Chubb likely would have made the Pro Bowl, too. In his final 10 games of 2018, Chubb averaged 97.2 yards from scrimmage per game.
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Chris Adamski is a TribLive reporter who has covered primarily the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2014 following two seasons on the Penn State football beat. A Western Pennsylvania native, he joined the Trib in 2012 after spending a decade covering Pittsburgh sports for other outlets. He can be reached at cadamski@triblive.com.
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