Cleveland running back Nick Chubb is carted off the field after suffering a significant knee injury on Monday against the Steelers. Matt Durisko/Associated Press
Video of the injury to Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb on Monday night was, as Troy Aikman put it during the prime-time game, “as bad as you can imagine.”
Chubb was hit by Minkah Fitzpatrick while running near the goal line on the second play of the second quarter of the Browns’ 26-22 loss to the Steelers in Pittsburgh, and his left leg bent impossibly backward. He immediately grabbed his knee, shaking his head as teammates offered him a hand to get up, and he was carted off the field.
“I’m told the replay of Nick Chubb getting injured is not to be seen,” Aikman’s partner Joe Buck said during the ABC broadcast and, as a replay was shown in the stadium, fans gasped and groaned.
“Yeah, we’re not going to show it,” Aikman said. “It’s as bad as you can imagine.”
A four-time Pro Bowler, Chubb has been a mainstay for the Browns over his six seasons in the NFL, and his teammate Myles Garrett said losing him “(freaking) hurts.” A star at Georgia, Chubb suffered a major injury to the same knee while in college, dislocating it, and tearing his anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments as well as his medial collateral ligament. He missed the second half of his 2015 sophomore season but rushed for more than 1,000 yards in both 2016 and 2017. A 2018 second-round pick by the Browns, he has averaged more than 1,000 yards rushing per season for Cleveland.
Coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed Tuesday that Chubb’s season is over.
He did not provide any specifics on the severity of the injury or when he will undergo surgery on his left knee.
“We feel, obviously, for Nick,” Stefanski said, “but I know Nick and his teammates know, and you have to move on.”
Chubb was taken to a Pittsburgh hospital, then left for Cleveland ahead of the team, according to ESPN.
“Obviously it’s a huge loss,” Browns receiver Amari Cooper said. “Nick is the engine of the team. Best player on the team. … I’m very sad for Nick, sad for this team losing Nick. Not only is it not ideal, it’s a tragedy.”
Chubb, 27, signed a three-year, $36.6 million extension with the Browns in 2021. Next year is the final one on his deal, but much of the guaranteed money will have already been paid out through this season.
n Kareem Hunt, who was born and raised in Cleveland and still lives there, visited the Browns Tuesday in hopes of re-signing with them to help replace Chubb.
The Browns let Hunt walk in free agency in March after his four seasons, but might re-sign him now that they need to bolster their running back room. He would complement new lead running back Jerome Ford, the Browns’ fifth-round pick last year out of Cincinnati. Ford replaced Chubb on Monday night and rushed 16 times for 106 yards, and caught a 3-yard touchdown pass the play after Chubb went down.
GIANTS: Saquon Barkley’s sprained right ankle is showing signs of improvement and New York Coach Brian Daboll on Tuesday refused to rule him out for a game against the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night.
“He’s a lot better than I thought he would be today,” Daboll said Tuesday in a Zoom call from Tempe, Arizona, where the Giants (1-1) are staying to prepare for Thursday night’s game in Santa Clara, California, against the San Francisco 49ers (2-0).
New York beat the Cardinals 31-28 on Sunday in Arizona after trailing 20-0 at halftime. Barkley hurt his ankle late in the fourth quarter when he was tackled after a short run on the game-winning field-goal drive.
PANTHERS: Carolina linebacker Shaq Thompson has a broken right leg and is expected to miss the remainder of the season, according to Coach Frank Reich.
Thompson underwent surgery on Tuesday to fix a fractured fibula he sustained in the first quarter of Carolina’s 20-17 loss to the New Orleans Saints on Monday night. He has been placed on injured reserve.
Reich said it’s hard to put into words how much Thompson brings to the team, calling him a team player and “a warrior, a guy who knows how to practice.”
VIKINGS: Minnesota signed former Denver guard Dalton Risner on Tuesday to try to shore up what has been a problematic position for several seasons.
Risner visited the Vikings for a workout during training camp. Drafted in the second round out of Kansas State in 2019, Risner started 62 games in four years for the Broncos. He became a free agent and had been unsigned.
FORMER NFL running back Dion Lewis – who won a Super Bowl with the Pats in the 2016 season – was arrested Monday in Florida, according to TMZ.
Lewis was taken into custody at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa. A Seminole Police Department spokesperson said Lewis was accused of “causing a disturbance and refusing to leave the premises.” He was released on a $500 bond Monday evening.
Lewis spent three seasons in New England.
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