Cleveland Browns: Studs and duds from Week 15 victory in Denver
By Dan Justik
Stud: Nick Chubb
The Browns were struggling to get their run game going early on as the entire offense could not put much together in the first half. Nick Chubb only carried the ball six times in the first half, gaining 23 yards.
More from Browns News
- How the Browns could maximize Nick Chubb in 2023
- Can Deshaun Watson get to Patrick Mahomes level for Cleveland Browns?
- 3 Cleveland Browns who should see an expanded role in 2023 and 1 who should not
- Is Marcus Davenport on the Browns radar in 2023?
- 5 Free agents from Super Bowl LVII Cleveland Browns should target
But in the second half, Freddie Kitchens made it a point of emphasis to establish the run, and Chubb exploded. Chubb had 14 rushes in the second half, going for 77 yards, including a 40-yard run during the Browns final drive of the game, putting them into great field position. He also had a 35-yard run in the third quarter, but a holding penalty on Greg Robinson brought the play back.
Chubb was making guys miss and gained a lot of his yardage after contact. His ability to finish runs played a key role in the Browns final drive of the game, as he used continued leg drive to get first downs and kept drives going.
Chubb is showing that at any time, he has the ability to break a long run. He did it on multiple occasions on Saturday, and he played a huge role in helping the Browns offense manage the clock with the passing offense sputtering.
The run game had struggled the past few weeks, but Chubb was able to put together this strong performance against a solid Broncos run defense. Even when the Browns passing offense struggles, Chubb can help the Browns continue to move down the field.