5 bold predictions for Cleveland Browns vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Nick Chubb will be over 100 yards rushing
This may not seem very bold because Nick Chubb is averaging more than 100 yards rushing per game and has done so in four of the last six games.
But in one of those two games where he didn’t break the century mark was against the Steelers. He had 92 yards, but averaged just 3.4 per carry, his worst mark of the season.
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He was still effective, but it wasn’t what we are used to seeing from Chubb and Pittsburgh had a lot to do with that. Their defense has been great against the run this year and that starts with rookie linebacker Devin Bush.
He leads the team with 79 tackles and has looked like anything but a rookie. It is also impossible to look past the mid-season addition of Minkah FItzpatrick who is always around the football and always making a play.
But this hot streak by Chubb has been helped by his backfield partner Kareem Hunt. I’m not talking about some of the great blocks he’s given him, but how he opens up the box by splitting out wide. When a running back goes out to receiver he is usually covered by a linebacker, which takes away a player to stop the run.
Freddie Kitchens has done a great job of working Hunt into the offense, and it’s almost like he didn’t even miss the first half of the season. Kitchens deserves credit for how the use of Hunt has opened up things in the run and the pass game.
Chubb doesn’t seem like the type of player to worry about stats and I’m sure he will be satisified with a victory, but going over a 100 yards against a divisional rival and a really good defense will feel good as well.