14 carries, 19 yards: Breaking down Nick Chubb’s very bad game in Week 11

The Cleveland Browns loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 11 was caused by a myriad of issues. The defense couldn’t stop the run, a continual issue, but the struggles on offense were also a problem. A couple of failed receptions to tight ends made things difficult but it was the rushing attack that was the biggest problem and surprise.

Combined, Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt had 51 yards on 19 carries. QB Jacoby Brissett had 29 yards on seven attempts including getting stopped on two straight sneaks.

Chubb’s 14 carries for 19 yards were the biggest surprise of all. This week’s performance was Chubb’s worst production while getting double-digit carries. In 2020 against the New York Jets, the former Georgia star had 11 carries for 28 yards but also had a touchdown.

Unlike what has been seen the rest of the season, Chubb didn’t face many 8-man boxes against the Bills. While he had been seeing stacked boxes over a third of the time this year, and an impressive 54.55% in Week 10, Buffalo only brought extra defenders into the box 14.29% of the time.

Cleveland’s blocking was a majority of the problem for Chubb this week. With defenders pushing blockers upfield, the Browns lead back averaged a league-worst 3.28 seconds behind the line of scrimmage this week. Only four other players in Thursday or Sunday's games were at 3 seconds or more.

All in all, the Bills stopped Cleveland’s great rushing attack without having to commit extra defenders before the snap. While Brissett had a great stat line with over 300 yards and three touchdowns, not getting the running game going stymied the offense overall.

Are you surprised Buffalo was able to stop Chubb without bringing 8 men in the box too often?