BROWNS RB NICK CHUBB SUFFERS SIGNIFICANT KNEE INJURY AGAINST STEELERS, FEARED TO BE OUT FOR THE SEASON
Cleveland Brown’s star running back Nick Chubb suffered a significant knee injury during the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night and is expected to be out for the season, Browns’ head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed.
Chubb was hurt on a carry in the red zone in the second quarter after he was hit low by Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. Chubb’s knee bent inward as the All-Pro running back hit the floor and quickly grabbed his leg before being attended to by the Browns’ medical staff. The former Georgia Bulldog was then subsequently carted off and quickly ruled out for the remainder of the game.
The gruesome injury sent gasps among the crowd at Acrisure stadium as the replay was shown on the big screen. ESPN decided not to show the replay on the telecast as Steelers fans chanted “Chubb” and gave him a standing ovation while the 27-year-old was being carted off the field.
As first reported by Cleveland.com’s May Kay Cabot, Chubb was taken to a local hospital and had multiple tests carried out at arrival. CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson reported Chubb’s trip to the hospital on Monday night was precautionary to observe if there were any critical neurological or circulatory issues around his primary injury. Chubb is set to undergo more testing on Tuesday morning to determine the full extent of his knee injury.
The four-time Pro Bowler had previously dislocated the same knee and tore his MCL, PCL, and LCL with cartilage damage in college and fought back to continue his career at the next level, a feat that was considered miraculous for a running back at the time. Chubb’s injury back on October 10th, 2015 vs. Tennessee was nearly a career ending ordeal and a second and almost identical injury to the same knee significantly reduces his chances of making a full recovery.
Browns’ quarterback Deshaun Watson became emotional while addressing Chubb’s injury after the game and told reporters: “Tough, [I’m] sending out my prayers to him. At that moment it was tough. Once we saw the replay and exactly what happened. A lot of flashbacks to the previous one he had in college. It was tough honestly.”
“I know he doesn’t have the ‘C’ on his jersey but he’s a captain. He’s a leader. He’s the definition of this team, of this city, of this organization… we’ve got a lot of holes to fill while he’s away. It’s even tough to speak on it. I just want to keep praying for him and his family. Just hopefully, we get the best outcome for him.”
Browns’ tight end David Njoku also spoke about Chubb’s injury in the locker room after the game. “It’s tough,” said Njoku. “Obviously, the mindset is ‘next man mentality’ but, you know, he’s a personal favorite for all of us. It’s tough when you lose a guy like that, his work ethic, him as a person, everything that he brings to the table.”
According to sports medicine physician, Dr. Jesse Morse, the diagnosis for Chubb is most likely a knee dislocation and a multi-ligament tear. That might also include a vascular injury. A multi-ligament knee reconstruction usually takes 15 months and is one of the more difficult injuries for a running back to come back from. A knee injury of that kind could range from a best-case scenario six-week rehab without surgery to a possible career ender.
While the hope is that Chubb makes a complete turn-around and returns to playing football, there’s a lingering fear that the two catastrophic injuries to the same knee would predispose Chubb to early degeneration down the line. A multi-ligament tear might include tears on either one or more of the medial collateral ligament (MCL), anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) or lateral collateral ligament (LCL).
As for Fitzpatrick who was also hurt on the play, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin told reporters after the game that he was taken to a local hospital to be evaluated for a possible chest injury. Fitzpatrick was then released from hospital later in the night, as per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. The star safety is reported to have undergone precautionary scans for what is believed to be a chest contusion and came up negative. As per Pelissero, the Pittsburgh Steelers remain optimistic the 26-year-old defensive back will be fine moving forward.
The horrific injury on Monday night continues a string of bad luck injuries on Monday Night Football dating back to last year’s December 13th game between the New England Patriots and the Arizona Cardinals in which quarterback Kyler Murray tore his ACL. Murray’s injury ended his season and the fifth-year quarterback has still yet to complete his rehab and make a return for this year.
Bills safety Damar Hamlin then suffered a cardiac arrest at Paycor Stadium only three weeks after Murray’s ACL tear, before both Aaron Rodgers and Nick Chubb suffered potential season-ending injuries in successive weeks to start the year.
Chubb’s injury sent ripples through the Pro Football world with current NFL players and ex-players voicing their emotion and heartfelt commiserations towards the All-Pro running back. “Praying for you brother, @NickChubb,” wrote former NFL running back Fred Taylor.
Other people who sent messages to Chubb include former three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, JJ Watt, former Saints’ running back Mark Ingram II, Arizona Cardinals’ Kyler Murray and James Conner, Titans’ running back Derrick Henry, Falcons’ running back Bijan Robinson, Eagles wide receiver AJ Brown, Baltimore Ravens’ quarterback Lamar Jackson, and Jacksonville Jaguars’ quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero
Photo: Erik Drost. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.