The Cleveland Browns expected the running game to get back in gear with running back Nick Chubb returning to the lineup.
But no one likely expected to see a historic day from Cleveland’s rushing attack on Sunday against the Houston Texans.
The Browns rolled up 231 rushing yards against Houston, their highest total since Week 4 against the Dallas Cowboys and more than the combined total of the past two games, according to clevelandbrowns.com.
Chubb led the way with 126 rushing yards, while running back Kareem Hunt kicked in with 104 rushing yards, his first 100-yard game since joining the Browns.
That made Chubb and Hunt just the fifth pair of running backs in franchise history to both surpass 100 rushing yards in the same game since Leroy Kelly (113 yards) and Ernie Green (103) pulled off the feat on October 8, 1966, against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt are the 1st Browns duo with 100 Rush yards in the same game since 1966.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 15, 2020
They are the 5th duo in Browns history to do that overall – each of the previous 4 duos featured at least 1 Hall of Famer. pic.twitter.com/KfVA7L0sgw
The big day from Chubb and Hunt pushed the Browns to 1,431 rushing yards on the season, the most rushing yards after 10 weeks since 1977, a season that saw the Browns hit a high-water mark with 322 rushing yards in Week 7 against the Kansas City Chiefs.
The @Browns 1,431 rushing yards this year are the most by the team in the first 10 weeks of a season since 1977 (1,562).
— Dan Murphy (@DMurph_BrownsPR) November 16, 2020
The Browns also surpassed 200 rushing yards for the third time this season. (The other games were Week 2 against the Cincinnati Bengals and Week 4 against the Cowboys.) That is the highest total since the Browns rushed for more than 200 yards in four games in 1978, which included a season-high 309 yards against the Buffalo Bills in Week 9.
With 231 rushing yards today, the @Browns have rushed for more than 200 yards in three games this year, their most since 1978 when they reached the mark in four games.
— Dan Murphy (@DMurph_BrownsPR) November 15, 2020
The dominant running game came at an ideal time as the Browns were dealing with a bad weather game that featured wind gusts that made the passing game tricky. Being able to rely on Chubb and Hunt operating behind an offensive line that also welcomed back right guard Wyatt Teller is a comforting thought, as quarterback Baker Mayfield told clevelandbrowns.com:
“I think when you are able to have that one-two punch of those guys being able to have somewhat fresh legs coming in late in the game, you could tell that some of these runs that were going for 2-3 yards were starting to pop for longer. It really does wear those teams down, which is why we are blessed to have those guys in our backfield.”
The Browns have several potential cold weather games left on the schedule, including three games at home and two in New Jersey, and they can’t control what the weather will be like for those games.
But with a running game clicking the way it did on Sunday against the Texans, the Browns appear to be set up to perform no matter the conditions.