Cleveland Browns: Titans RB matchup is added juice for Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt

The Cleveland Browns are at the Tennesee Titans in Week 13

The Cleveland Browns secured their first non-losing season since 2007 on Sunday following their victory at the Jacksonville Jaguars. It was hardly a convincing W, that’s for sure, but wins, period, aren’t something we Browns fans should take for granted.

Next up for Cleveland, looking to Week 13 is a road tilt at the Tennessee Titans. Tennessee is leading the AFC South, with them 8-3 as well, albeit they’ve been much more impressive in navigating to that record.

The Browns against the best on their schedule to this point haven’t been up to the task, putting it bluntly, as Bleacher Report’s NFL staff pointed out in their latest power rankings. Cleveland was at No. 10 in that, but are 1-3 in their matchups against teams “that currently have winning records.”

Tennessee, conversely, has had some notable W’s. The Titans had their own issues with the Jags early on, along with the Houston Texans later, sure. But they nearly came back against the Pittsburgh Steelers, did so at the Baltimore Ravens, and dismantled the Buffalo Bills, for instance.

In any case, the marquee “game within the game,” if you will, in this Browns-Titans contest is the running game duel. The Browns have the best running back tandem in the NFL with Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, and Tennessee has the NFL’s leading rusher in Derrick Henry, who will likely win that title for the second year in a row.

And in this one, Chubb and Hunt, as a result, should have even more motivation to kill it than usual, perhaps.

This Titan-sized running back matchup is added juice for the Browns backs

Chubb, despite missing four games with an MCL injury, still leads the NFL in explosive runs (20-plus yard ones) with 10. Though he’s been stacked up at times, Chubb’s ability to hit game-changing runs has been huge for Cleveland, and in all-in-all, he’s had 719 rushing yards and 6.3 yards per carry.

Simply put, when he’s been in there for the Browns, he’s given them a different gear. DPD’s own Justice Sunderland believes Chubb should be in the MVP conversation, too.

Hunt, meanwhile, has had 706 yards and averaged 4.5 yards per carry. And although he had only 3.9 yards per carry when Chubb was sidelined, his still-hard running and his work in the passing game have been instrumental and really aided Baker Mayfield and company.

Hunt, whose 11th in the league in rushing first downs (38) and is fifth in the NFL in yards after contact (402), has 22 receptions for 151 yards and four receiving touchdowns, too.

Moreover, the Browns will be looking to wear down Tennessee in this one, clearly.

On the other side of the spectrum, though, Cleveland will have their hands full with Henry defensively. He’s been phenomenal for the Titans again in 2020, and is quite literally, just like this matchup, Titan-sized.

The 6-foot-3, 247-pound Henry might as well be the modern-aged Marion Motley with how he dislodges would-be tacklers so easily and how when he gets going at the second level on, even more so. And Henry is a burner in his own right, too, which shouldn’t be discounted. He’s had a near-NFL-best 12 rushing TDs to boot.

Henry, albeit the workload has been there based on him leading the league in rushes, clearly wears out opposing defenses on the regular, and it makes sense. Tackling him gets harder and harder as games progress, and Ryan Tannehill has been great via play-action throughout games and has consistently hit the likes of A.J. Brown, Jonnu Smith, and the improving Corey Davis.

Nonetheless, while Mayfield will need to make things happen through the air against Harold Landry, Jeffery Simmons, Amani Hooker, Rashaan Evans, and that Titans D, the Browns defense needs to somehow slow down Henry. And even with Chubb/Hunt hopefully doing their thing to help wear down Tennessee perhaps, containing Henry is a tall order.

But if Chubb and Hunt feast, the Browns would seem to have a good shot at an upset special here. That’s more so if they can generate a turnover or two, for example, and fortunately, Myles Garrett (COVID-19/reserve list) is seemingly cleared to play.

To further drive it home, though, this one, not saying there was a lack of motivation, factoring in Henry, should have even more added juice for Chubb, Hunt, and Joel Bitonio, and the Browns offensive line.

We’ll see if Cleveland can land again, also with how Tennessee killed Cleveland in the opener last year, what would be an upset here in Week 13 and keep moving forward in regards to getting to the postseason.