3. Nick Chubb crosses the 1,000-yard barrier
While the way Hue Jackson and Todd Haley held Baker Mayfield back gets all the attention, he wasn’t the only rookie who was sidelined simply due to outdated thinking. Jackson and Haley seemed to believe their offense was far too complex for these mere rookies to learn. So Mayfield sat despite being a better player than Tyrod Taylor. Same for Nick Chubb, the rookie out of Georgia.
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While Carlos Hyde had his share of good plays, he was nowhere near as explosive as Chubb. The rookie even showed that off in Week 4 when he had three rushes for 105 yards and two touchdowns. He ripped off two long touchdowns, and the duo of offensive minds kept him sitting.
Eventually, John Dorsey had enough and he forced the coaches hands by trading Hyde to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Chubb has since proven to be one of the top rookie running backs — and even ripped off a franchise-high 92-yard touchdown run in Week 10.
Chubb comes into this one fresh off his third 100-yard game in the NFL and could get a lot of touches — especially if the Browns take a big lead. Currently, he’s sitting at 860 yards and eight touchdowns. He should finish the season with 1,000-yards and double-digit touchdowns.
As for the yardage, the first bold prediction is he gets that here as Chubb rumbles for more than 140 yards against Cincinnati, further proving that Dorsey easily won the 2018 NFL Draft.