If the Cleveland Browns are able to pull off the big upset for the second week in a row on Sunday, their elite running back tandem of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt will have much to do with it. Chubb and Hunt finished No. 7 and No. 16 in NFL rushing on the season, respectively, and each player cracked 1,000 scrimmage yards.
They accounted for 206 of the Browns’ 390 net yards in their 48-37 Wild Card win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“Typically, you can say when there’s two running backs you’re facing, ‘OK, [Chubb] is in there. Here are some things that they run. When [Hunt] is in there, etcetera,’” explained defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo on Thursday. “They run their whole offense with both of them. That’s where they’re really effective. You can’t get a beat on that. We’ve got to defend the scheme.”
One of the Chiefs’ defensive leaders, safety Tyrann Mathieu, called Chubb and Hunt a “double-headed monster.”
“When one checks out the game, another other one comes in,” described Mathieu, likely referencing his intense weekly film study. “Both of those guys are elite, I think, in their own way. Kareem, he can do a lot of things out the backfield. They motion him out a lot in empty sets trying to find a matchup and Nick Chubb, he reminds me of those old-school runners... big, stocky, low to the ground, tough to tackle. And then both of those guys are good in the pass game. And they use them in the same way, so it can kind of get tricky when you’re watching film. I’d describe them as a two-headed monster.”
What may be most fascinating about Chubb’s season is that he managed 1,217 scrimmage yards while he not only shared the ball with Hunt but also missed four games due to a sprained MCL.
Many would consider Chubb a top-five back in the league, and Hunt — in his first full season since leaving the Chiefs — looks to be a player who could start for 20-plus other teams in the league.
Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, who coached Hunt to the NFL rushing title as his position coach in 2017, knows him well.
“Kareem is a beautiful kid,” said Bieniemy. “He has a beautiful spirit about himself, and I know that you guys really don’t get to see that side of him. He’s a fun-loving family guy and he’s one of those kids that you just can’t help but want great things to happen for him. But as far as a player, a beast. He runs hard, plays hard, knows how to maximize every opportunity. You can see that when he’s out on the field. He runs with an attitude and he runs with a determined mindset that he’s going to find a way to make it across that line.”
The Chiefs moved on from Hunt midway through the 2018 season, and since then, the 25-year-old has seemed to right the ship when it comes to previous off-the-field concerns.
“I’m proud of the growth process that he’s gone through,” added Bieniemy. “I’m proud to see where he is, I’m proud to see him still pursuing his goals and all the accomplishments that he has made. I mean, hell, he’s like one of our own. And I know we’ll be facing him this week and that’ll be a little different, but when it’s all said and done with, I know he’ll come out and do exactly what he wants to do. He’s going to play hard and he’s going to play fast and he’s going to be the best running back that he can possibly be for them.”
Much like the Tennessee Titans and even the Los Angeles Rams, the Browns offense works best when the run game can get going early, allowing that threat to leave quarterback Baker Mayfield free on play-action passes.
“What makes it challenging, is the fact that Baker Mayfield, their misdirection runs are really him running boots and movement passes,” mentioned Spagnuolo. “That’s where our eyes have to be right, that’s where we’ve got to build the wall, track to hip, set the edge just like we talked about. They present a problem, no question.”
After missing two games due to being on the reserve/COVID-19 list, linebacker Anthony Hitchens will return to the Chiefs’ lineup on Sunday. Given the damage the Browns can do on the ground and then as a result through the air, communication from that mid-level to the guys up front and back to the secondary will be key.
“I think any team that you play in this league, it’s extremely important to communicate before the snap and after the snap,” Mathieu noted. “I’d probably add one more thing. I think it’s going to come down to discipline as well. They’re going to do some of the same things but do it different ways. One may be a run; one may be a pass. It’s going to look the same and we’re going to have to be very disciplined in our assignments.”
There is another point Mathieu didn’t mention — and that is the ultimate advantage.
Patrick Mahomes and the offense simply starting faster than did in last year’s postseason and getting out to a multi-score lead has the power to disarm the best part of the Browns’ attack — their ability to mix it up.