Facing fourth-and-1 at the goal line with under a minute remaining in the first half, the Browns were in need of a touchdown as they faced a seven-point deficit against the Bengals. In his first NFL action in over a year, RB Nick Chubb broke through the goal line to score and put the Browns on the board.
When asked Wednesday about how it felt to score after over a year of recovery from his season-ending knee injury last season, Chubb gave an expectedly pragmatic answer.
"It felt fine," Chubb said. "It was great to be out there with the guys and play another game."
After the Browns drove to the Cincinnati 1-yard line, Chubb's initial touchdown was called back due to an offensive offside penalty called against RG Michael Dunn. On the following play, Chubb ran five yards up the middle back to the 1-yard line but was unable to push his way into the end zone. Two plays later, Chubb ran up the middle again, but was stopped just short, bringing up fourth-and-1.
acks in the NFL than a healthy Chubb – who had the third-most broken tackles in the NFL in 2022 with 28 – and the Browns' decision to turn to the running back when they went for it on fourth-and-1 paid off. However, instead of running up the middle, Chubb caught a pitch to the left, picked up a block from TE Geoff Swaim and drove his way into the end zone.
For the fans at Huntington Bank Field, seeing Chubb find the end zone was more than fine, as cheers erupted throughout the stadium, and they celebrated the return of one of the NFL's best.
"It felt good to go out there and play with the guys again and see the love from everyone," Chubb said.
