The opening game of the season was good for Cedartown alum and NFL running back Nick Chubb.

Just looking at the stats for our hometown hero, it was a good day. He carried the ball for two touchdowns, positive yardage, four first downs. He did fumble one against the Chiefs in the third while the Browns had a five-point advantage, but Kansas City somehow got the better of Cleveland, and the opening Sunday outing on the season ended with a 33-29 loss.

Fans have a tendency to guffaw and act a fool after just one game, but let’s be honest. This is the NFL, and with more than a dozen games left to play in the young season an opener lost by four ain’t an indication of bad fortunes to come. (Though, let’s be fair to Browns fans: history hasn’t exactly been kind to the team, but their turnaround in recent years speaks volumes of where they stood in years past, and their standing in the league overall at present.)

Following the game in a press conference today, Chubb spoke out about the squad’s need to regroup (Clevelandbrowns.com video, like the NFL, doesn’t like being embedded on the blog… I dunno folks. Enjoy the links. 🙂 )

This Cleveland.com article (subscription required) asks what the chances are for a 1,000 season with Kareem Hunt and Chubb in the backfield for the Browns. Splitting carries means splitting yards. Of note, Chubb put up 83 yards on 15 carries in his first game out of the gate, and scored a pair of touchdowns on the day in the opening outing against Kansas City.

He’s already put up a pair of more than 1,000-yard seasons in the four years he’s been with the Browns. He played in only 12 games in 2020 but still ended the year 1,067 yards in total (not including receiving yardage) and in his second year in the league had 1,494 yards in 16 games. Is it fair to say that it’s likely Chubb will get to 1,000 yards again this season for a third year in a row? The Magic 8-Ball says it is Probable.

When the Browns take the field this coming Sunday against the Houston Texans, I think Chubb will be in the right mindset toward not only accomplishing that personal honor of another 1,000+ yard season, but also for getting Cleveland a win, and keep them there through the rest of the season.

Apparently, Baker Mayfield’s speech to the team after the game has hit home with the hometown running back, at least based on this article from The Chronicle-Telegram.

Cleveland kicks off on Sunday at 1 p.m. EST against the Houston Texans, who sit at 1-0 on the young season after an opening victory over another area star in Cartersville native Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Streaming on the Cleveland-Houston game might be available via the NFL Network, but don’t expect this one to end up on TV in our area.

Check back for news next Wednesday in the upcoming Nick Chubb Roundup about their (hopefully victorious) faceoff with Houston.