The Las Vegas Raiders will have their hands full when they face the Cleveland Browns and their star running back Nick Chubb.
The Raiders run defense will have the spotlight on them when they travel to Cleveland to take on the Browns. The Pro Bowl running back will be a handful even for a defense that had an influx of talent via free agency. Defensive tackle Maliek Collins joined the Raiders this past offseason and stalwart Maurice Hurst will also be key to stopping the run. The linebacker corps also saw two major additions, Cory Littleton and Nick Kwiatkoski.
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Beware of Chubb
Since being drafted in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft, Chubb has been on a tear. While the Browns have continued to struggle as a team, running the ball with the ex-Georgia Bulldog has proven to be a reliable strategy. In nine starts as a rookie, Chubb totaled 996 rushing yards, eight touchdowns, and averaged 5.2 yards per carry. Last year, Chubb stepped it up while starting all 16 games, rushing for 1,494 yards, scoring eight touchdowns again, and totaling 278 receiving yards.
The Raiders run defense will have its work cut out for them, and that’s putting it nicely. Chubb ran for 882 yards after contact and had 32 broken tackles in 2019. In other words, bringing down the 5-foot-11, 227 pound running back will be no easy task. It will be a scary prospect for any defense, in this case, the Raiders, to stop Chubb. Runs for 92 and 88 yards the past two seasons indicate he could break away and run it to the house on any given play.
Last season, Raiders’ opponents averaged 98.1 rushing yards a game against them. In addition, opponents averaged just under one touchdown (0.9) on the ground versus the Raiders in 2019. While it’s easy for fans league-wide to overlook the Browns, the Raiders cannot afford to take them lightly, or else they could find themselves chasing Chubb all day.
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*Top Photo: David Richard/Associated Press