Browns ride Nick Chubb’s return to key bad-weather win over Texans

The Cleveland Browns braved bad weather and rode Nick Chubb to a key win.

Before the Cleveland Browns took on the Houston Texans, Mother Nature made an unforgiving appearance early which briefly delayed kickoff. After everything subsided, the elements of old-school football clouded the field as Cleveland took a 10-0 lead in the fourth quarter before hanging on for a 10-7 victory. The Browns now move to 6-3 on the season and are positioning themselves for a possible playoff berth.

In a game that largely resembled Super Bowl LIII, touchdowns were hard to come by until late in the game. Baker Mayfield only threw for 163 yards but, amid the windy elements that limited both passing attacks, he was mistake-free and executed well when it mattered. In a win, those things are enough to satisfy fans.

Nick Chubb, on the other hand, proved to be a difference-maker in his first game back on the field since Week 4, along with Kareem Hunt. Chubb returned to run for 126 yards and one touchdown on 19 carries, including a game-sealing 59-yard run in which he caused fantasy managers to own when he ran out of bounds at the 1-yard line to ice the game. Hunt also had 19 carries and rushed for 104 yards.

With Chubb back, the Browns are headed by their rushing attack.

The NFL has largely become a passing league with heavy commitments to the run game being looked down upon. As for Cleveland, they have shown a blind eye to the common perspective and instead used to their advantage in a win over Houston and Deshaun Watson.

However, that strategy will not always prove to be victorious. Watson had chances to escape but the defense stifled Houston and the weather played a huge factor in the style of play being put on display. For the Browns to be a legitimate postseason force, they will need Mayfield and the passing attack to catch up to their run game.

To say he can’t do it would be demeaning. Has he struggled? Yes. But when you win, you get to avoid the negativity — for now. A win quells much negativity and, sitting at 6-3 now, Mayfield and Cleveland are in a good spot. It’s also clear that the rushing attack is the driving force behind that.

Nevertheless, Mayfield will be fine, provided he fixes his craft. For now, Cleveland fans can breathe a sigh of relief after a narrow victory under tough conditions.