Browns' Chubb 'grateful' ahead of 1st game in Pittsburgh since knee injury

Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb admitted Wednesday that returning to the scene of his devastating knee injury to face the Pittsburgh Steelers won't be an average game for him.

"It's a divisional game, so for me, that's enough for me to get excited about," Chubb said Wednesday, according to Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com. "But I'd be lying if I said I haven't thought about it, going back to that place where it happened last year. But besides that, I'm always excited to play the Steelers."

Chubb sustained a major knee injury on a hit by Steelers defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick in the second quarter of a September 2023 game. The four-time Pro Bowl tailback underwent multiple ACL and MCL surgeries and didn't make his official return to the field until this October.

The Browns defeated the Steelers at home two weeks ago, but Chubb described his first matchup against the division rivals as a "normal game." He said his first game back in Pittsburgh feels different, though.

"Just going back there and knowing how it was last year, I mean last time I played there, everything that happened and just being grateful that I'm able to run and play and play football again and move around," Chubb added. "And I think more just the gratitude aspect of me being back there and being healthy."

Chubb averaged 1,268 rushing yards (5.2 per carry) and 10 touchdowns on the ground per season across his first five NFL campaigns. He earned his first All-Pro berth in 2022 before injuring his knee in the first month of the 2023 season.

The 28-year-old is averaging 2.96 yards per rushing attempt on 82 carries in six games in 2024. He's scored four scrimmage touchdowns this year, including two against the Steelers.