The Cleveland Browns struggled to convert turnovers into points for much of the 2018 regular season, but the opposite proved true in the second quarter of their AFC North Division showdown with the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati.
After generating their first turnover of the game when defensive back Damarious Randall corralled his team-leading third interception, running back Nick Chubb was on the receiving end of a 14-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Baker Mayfield.
The Mayfield-to-Chubb touchdown gave the Browns a 28-0 lead over the Bengals with 2:25 to play in the first half. The Browns went on to post a 35-20 victory over the Bengals for their first road win since October 11, 2015.
On third-and-three from the Cincinnati 14-yard line, Mayfield fielded the snap from center JC Tretter and looked toward the left side of the formation for an open receiver, where he found Chubb breaking free behind the coverage of a Bengals defensive back.
Chubb jumped at the four-yard line to try and corral the ball, which he ended up pinning against the back of Cincinnati safety Brandon Wilson while falling backwards to the ground in the end zone.
A replay review upheld the call on the field of a touchdown, which was Chubb’s second receiving score of the season and second in as many weeks.
Chubb finished the game with 84 yards and one touchdown on 28 carries, along with three catches for 44 yards and one score.
Since Carlos Hyde’s trade to the Jacksonville Jaguars less than 48 hours ahead of a road loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last month, Chubb has become the Browns’ feature running back, rushing for 490 yards and four touchdowns on 106 carries, an average of 4.62 yards per attempt.
Additionally, Chubb has turned nine catches into 92 yards and two touchdowns on the season, and his 44 receiving yards against the Bengals almost equaled the total (48) that he amassed in the first 10 games of his career.
Chubb has won the Pepsi Rookie of the Week Award twice, as well as FedEx Ground Player of the Week honors during the first 12 weeks of the regular season.
Currently, Chubb is tied for sixth in franchise history for rushing touchdowns by a rookie and ranks sixth for the most rushing yards from a first-year professional with the Browns.
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