Browns Head Coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed to reporters Tuesday afternoon that Chubb would have season-ending surgery on his left knee. Stefanski wouldn’t confirm the extent of the injury but told reporters via Zoom;
“I think that’s one of those things, really with surgery, you’ll get a better story on what it was,” Stefanski said Tuesday. “You know, disappointed. I can’t say it enough. I know our team feels that way. I know our fans feel that way. And I know Nick, when you guys get to talk to him, we’ll say the same thing. We got to move on, and we got a big one this week. We’ll miss Nick. OK. And we will support Nick, but we’re moving on to Tennessee.”
Chubb had already rushed for 64 yards on 10 attempts before colliding with Steelers safety Minka Fitzpatrick at the 14:13 mark of the second stanza.
Both players remained on the ground after the play, and Chubb was carted off the field and taken to a local hospital. He’s now back with the Browns at their facility, awaiting surgery on the same knee he injured with a star RB at the University of Georgia.
Deshaun Watson Riding Struggle Bus
Reserve-turned-starting RB Jerome Ford scampered for 106 yards against Pittsburgh, but the real problem for Cleveland has been quarterback Deshaun Watson.
The former All-Pro QB has struggled since missing 2.5 seasons with legal issues and hardly resembles the quarterback who threw for over 14,000 yards and 104 TD passes through his first four seasons in the NFL as a member of the Houston Texans.
The Browns signed Watson to a 5-year, $230 million contract in June of 2022. Cleveland is 4-4 when their $230 million man takes the field as the starter–in those eight games with the Browns, Watson has thrown nine TD passes and seven interceptions, and Monday night was probably his worst game for Cleveland.
Watson threw a pick-six on the Browns’ opening drive Monday nightand had the ball stripped from his hands with 7:03 minutes to go by defensive lineman Alex Highsmith and into the waiting arms of All-Pro linebacker TJ Watt, who then took the ball to the house for the winning TD.
When asked about his Monday struggles, Watson told reporters after the game, “Tonight, it was s—ty as far as that. There’s some plays we capitalized and did good, but as far as my part, it’s not good enough.”
Cleveland Browns Super Bowl Championship Odds
The injury didn’t move the Browns Championship Futures odds at all because the running back isn’t the real problem. Cleveland was +2500 at BetRivers Ohio to win the championship prior to Chubb’s injury and remains +2500 longshots to hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy as Super Bowl LVIII in February. I wouldn’t have bet on them to win before the injury, and I wouldn’t bet on them winning without Chubb either.
Browns Still Second Favorite to Win AFC North Title
Cleveland is the second favorite (+350) to win the AFC North title. Baltimore is the odds-on favorite (-106) at BetRivers, and what I find interesting is that Cleveland has better odds with Chubb lost for the season than Cincinnati does with a day-to-day Joe Burrow.
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