The Cleveland Browns enter Sunday’s Week 3 game against the Tennessee Titans with the unenviable task of replacing one of the best running backs in the National Football League.
Nick Chubb’s season-ending injury during the Browns’ Monday Night Football loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers sent shockwaves throughout the league.
“You don’t replace Nick Chubb,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters after the game. “You just don’t do that. Great players in the league, you look around, they go out. It’s always not one person that replaces a player of [Chubb’s] caliber. So, everybody’s got to do a little bit more, a little bit more everywhere.”
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The Browns re-signed Kareem Hunt this week to help out. Hunt rushed for 1,874 yards in four seasons from 2019 to 2022 with the Browns. While Hunt is familiar with the team, it’s hard to gauge how much action he’ll see, considering the Browns are on a short week and Hunt wasn’t on a team until Tuesday’s signing. Expect to see a lot of second-year running back Jerome Ford, who took over as Chubb’s backup after Hunt left the team.
Without Chubb, the Titans’ defense will try to force Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson into more passing situations.
Watson is in the bottom three NFL quarterbacks in passer rating, completion percentage and yards per attempt. How Watson handles the pressure from a stout Titans defensive line will directly impact the outcome of this game.
The Titans are more settled at running back with three-time Pro Bowler Derrick Henry. Henry had 80 rushing yards and a touchdown in the Titans’ Week 2 win against the Los Angeles Chargers. However, his toe injury is worth keeping an eye on as the week progresses.
Even healthy, Henry could have a tough day ahead. Despite losing against the Steelers, the Browns are No. 2 in the NFL in yards allowed per play and percentage of drives resulting in points.
How to watch Browns vs. Titans
The Cleveland Browns host the Tennessee Titans for a Week 3 contest. Kickoff will happen at 1 p.m. ET. Spero Dedes (play-by-play), Adam Archuleta (analyst), and Aditi Kinkhabwala (sidelines) will call the action on CBS.
Injury Report
Titans
LB Luke Gifford (quad), CB Anthony Kendall (hip), G Peter Skoronski (abdomen), and DT Teair Tart (knee) did not participate in Wednesday’s practice.
DL Denico Autry (foot), RB Derrick Henry (toe), and OLB Harold Landry (hamstring) were limited participants in Wednesday’s training session.
CB Kristian Fulton (hamstring), S Amani Hooker (concussion), and WR DeAndre Hopkins (ankle) were total participants during Wednesday’s practice.
Browns
G Joel Bitonio (non-injury related rest), DE Myles Garrett (non-injury related rest), WR Amari Cooper (groin/shoulder), CB Greg Newsome (elbow), and DE Za’Darius Smith (ankle/thigh) didn’t participate in Wednesday’s practice.
LB Sione Takitaki (shoulder), LB Anthony Walker (pectoral), and OT Jedrick Wills (shoulder) were limited participants for Wednesday’s session.
DT Siaki Ika (foot) and S Juan Thornhill (calf) participated fully in Wednesday’s practice.
Betting Info Browns vs. Titans
According to Thursday’s odds on BetMGM, the Browns are favored by 3.5 points against the Titans. The 39.5 over/under is the second-lowest on the board this week behind the New York Jets and New England Patriots at 36.5 points.