The Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers matchup for the second time this season, this time on Monday Night Football. The stakes are quite high for both teams. Whoever loses the game (or if it is a tie), is out of the playoff picture. The winner could still be competing for the AFC North crown depending on how things play out on Sunday.
It will also be Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger’s last home game.
In their first matchup, Pittsburgh scored the final 12 points of the game, two touchdowns with failed extra points due to an injury to their kicker. The Cleveland offense struggled to get much going on the ground while missing Kareem Hunt (who could miss Monday as well).
Weeks later, the two teams match up again with a very clear area of strength versus weakness showing up:
Cleveland ranks second in run offense DVOA.
Pittsburgh ranks 30th in run defense DVOA.This has been your Monday night preview, congratulations if you have Nick Chubb in your fantasy final.#Browns #HereWeGo #Steelers
— Aaron Schatz đ (@FO_ASchatz) December 30, 2021
In Week 8, Nick Chubb only rushed for 61 yards on 16 carries. D’Ernest Johnson, filling in for Hunt, had four carries for 22 yards. Eight weeks later, will the results be different or will the Steelers be able to load up against the run and force QB Baker Mayfield and the passing game to be the key to the offense?
Chubb had a rough couple of weeks since returning from the COVID-19 list but really showed more flash in Week 16. With a couple of extra days of rest (played Saturday and now on Monday night), Chubb should be fresh to go against whatever defense Pittsburgh throws his way.