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Reviewing the RBs: Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt gave Browns one of NFL's best 1-2 punches

Cleveland finished 3rd in the league with 148.4 rushing yards per game

The offseason is officially underway, and free agency is just around the corner. Until then, we'll be putting the Browns' current roster through a thorough, position by position review.

Next up: The running backs

The Raw Numbers

Rushing yards per game - 148.4 (3rd in NFL)

Rushing attempts - 495 (5th in NFL)

Yards per attempt - 4.8 (5th in NFL)

Nick Chubb

Regular season: 190 carries, 1,067 yards, 8 TDs; 16 receptions, 150 yards

Playoffs: 31 carries, 145 yards; 6 receptions, 73 yards, TD

Kareem Hunt

Regular season: 198 carries, 841 yards, 6 TDs; 38 receptions, 304 yards, 5 TDs

Playoffs: 14 carries, 80 yards, 3 TDs; 2 receptions, 15 yards

D'Ernest Johnson

Regular season: 33 carries, 166 yards

Andy Janovich

Regular season: 2 carries, 4 yards; 2 receptions, 13 yards

Check out the best 100 photos from this season by the Browns photo team

Analysis in 150 Words or Less

The Browns entered 2020 with one of the most respected RB tandems in the league, and the duo of Chubb and Hunt more than lived up to the hype. Well into the second half of the season, despite Chubb missing four games, Chubb and Hunt both flirted with hitting 1,000 yards. Ultimately, Hunt came up a little short of the mark but he more than made up for it with punishing runs (many of which coming to close out games) and a consistent presence in the passing game. Chubb was arguably the most dominant he's been throughout his career, averaging 5.2 yards per carry while finishing seventh in the league in yards and fourth in touchdowns despite his four-game absence. This was exactly what the Browns envisioned for the tandem, which always kept defenses honest and often delivered the final blows in Cleveland's 11 regular season victories.

Number of Significance

1 — That's how many RB tandems around the league had each member rush for at least 840 yards in 2020. Chubb and Hunt truly shared the load in a way that simply wasn't common around the NFL. They both had roughly the same number of carries (190 to 198) and accounted for almost identical totals in combined rushing and receiving yards (1,217 to 1,145). Chubb and Hunt became the Browns' first RB tandem to each clear 10 TDs since Leroy Hoard and Kevin Mack did it in 1991.

Low Point

The Browns rushed for fewer than 100 yards on just three occasions in 2020. The worst of the bunch came Week 16 against the Jets, the only time all year Cleveland failed to reach 100 yards with both Chubb and Hunt in the lineup. The Browns managed a season-low 45 in a game where the team — playing without its top four wide receivers — could have really used a commanding performance from the duo. The Browns averaged 2.5 yards per carry and had just one run go for more than 10 yards.

High Point

This is a tough one because there are so many options. Though it wasn't the team's best rushing performance of the season, Week 10 against the Texans was probably the best we saw of the Chubb-Hunt tandem all year. Both running backs cleared 100 yards, marking the first time that'd happened with a pair of Browns teammates since Leroy Kelly and Ernie Green did it in 1966. Hunt was the team's leading rusher for most of the game, but Chubb passed him on a memorable final carry, going 59 yards on third-and-short to close out the 10-7 victory. On the day, Hunt and Chubb each rushed 19 times and combined for 230 yards.

What They Said

"Excited about those guys. They both had incredible moments for us this season, just thinking back to some of the runs and catches that they had that were highlight worthy. Excited about them moving forward, and it is our job to grow in this offense and find more things they can do. That is part of what this offseason will be about." — Browns Head Coach Kevin Stefanski

"I learned a lot. I learned that there is a way for us both to be on the field at the same time and there is a way for both of us to have a good year at the same time. That is the biggest thing I took from it all is that we can still be us, share the ball and have success with it. The same thing for years to come. Just for us to keep having fun and playing and winning games together." — Chubb

"It is just really something special. We want to continue to build off of that. We wanted to go farther. I like where we are now, but we have to keep getting better." — Hunt

Nathan Zegura's Take

"When you talk about a great group, you've got to love the continuity. The greatness coming back — Chubb, Hunt, D'Ernest Johnson — your top three running backs are all expected to be back. The top two is the real focus as they make the case to be the best running back duo in the NFL."

Who's Back for 2021?

All of the Browns' rostered running backs and fullbacks are under contract through 2021.

Who's a Potential Free Agent?

N/A

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