Nick Chubb’s 5 best games against the Bengals

The Cleveland Browns have had a rough go of it ever since returning to the NFL in 1999, which is not open to debate.

But another undebatable truth is that the Browns have owned the “Battle of Ohio” with the Cincinnati Bengals since the beginning of the 2018 season.

Five consecutive wins at home. Eight wins in their last 10 meetings. Four wins in five opportunities against Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow. It might be hard to believe, but it is all there in black and white in the record book.

There have been numerous contributors to the winning streak, from former quarterback Baker Mayfield lighting up the Cincinnati defense for five touchdown passes in 2020, to cornerback Denzel Ward’s 99-yard interception return in 2021 and defensive end Myles Garrett’s 10 sacks in eight games against an overmatched Bengals offensive line.

Perhaps the biggest advantage the Browns have over the Bengals is that they have running back Nick Chubb and Cincinnati does not.

In nine career games against the Bengals, Chubb has rushed for 797 yards, seven touchdowns, averaged 5.08 yards per carry, and eclipsed 100 rushing yards five times.

With that in mind, here are the five best games that Chubb has posted against the Bengals.

October 31, 2022: Chubb rushed for 101 yards and a pair of touchdowns as the Browns rolled to a 32-13 win over the Bengals on Halloween night. He opened the scoring with a five-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and his 11-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter was one of three second-half touchdowns the Browns scored on the night.

December 8, 2019: Chubb did not find the end zone in this game, but he still had 99 rushing yards in the second half and averaged 7.07 yards per carry to help lead the Browns to a 27-19 win over the Bengals that kept Cleveland’s very faint playoff hopes alive.

December 23, 2018: Chubb rushed for 112 yards to support quarterback Baker Mayfield’s three touchdown passes as the Browns beat the Bengals, 26-18, in the return of former head coach Hue Jackson to Cleveland Browns Stadium. With his fourth 100-yard rushing game of the season, Chubb surpassed Trent Richardson for the franchise’s rookie rushing record for a season, which Richardson set in 2012 with 950 yards. Chubb would go on to finish the season with 996 rushing yards - the only season he has failed to surpass 1,000 rushing yards in a season.

September 17, 2020: Chubb rushed for 124 yards and two touchdowns on a night where the Browns rolled up 215 rushing yards in a 35-30 win against the Bengals. While fellow running back Kareem Hunt scored Cleveland’s final touchdown of the night on a one-yard run in the fourth quarter, Chubb keyed the six-play, 75-yard game-clinching drive, all on the ground, with a 26-yard run from Cleveland’s 29-yard line that broke Cincinnati’s defense.

November 7, 2021: Chubb rushed for 137 yards and two touchdowns - including a 70-yarder to break the game open in the third quarter - as the Browns rolled over the Bengals 41-16. Chubb’s long touchdown run was one of three Cleveland scores in the game of at least 60 yards (Ward had his 99-yard interception return for a touchdown and wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones hauled in a 60-yard touchdown pass), making the Browns the first team since the San Diego Chargers in 1967 to pull off that feat.

The Browns open the 2023 season on September 10 against the Bengals at Cleveland Browns Stadium, giving Chubb the next opportunity to add to his impressive résumé against the Bengals.

What is your most memorable moment from a Browns-Bengals game? Let us know in the comments!