Steelers Defend Hit That Hurt Nick Chubb
PITTSBURGH — The Nick Chubb injury is the worst part of football. In the Steelers and Browns Monday night clash, star Browns running back Nick Chubb suffered a severe knee injury when his knee hyperextended on a hit from Minkah Fitzpatrick and Cole Holcomb. The training staff transported Chubb to a local hospital, and as of early Tuesday, Chubb was out of the hospital. Players from both sides empathize with Chubb and the injury he suffered.
“It hurts,” star Browns defensive end Myles Garrett said. “That’s our brother, my brother. We’ve been here together for a long time. It’s a blow for the whole team, and this injury is awful. But we have to push on and come together as a team.”
Patrick Peterson tweeted prayers to Chubb. Some call the hit dirty when Fitzpatrick went low on Chubb to stop his momentum, thus bending his knee backward. However, Holcomb, the other defender in the play, does not think the play is dirty. He, too, just like everyone else, is praying for Chubb’s recovery. Chubb is reportedly out for the rest of the season after the hit.
“I was tackling him high, and Minkah came in and hit him down low,” Holcomb said. “You know, then you watch it on the jumbotron, and you don’t wish that on anybody. He’s a hell of a player. I’ll be praying for him, hoping he’s okay… it’s hard because when you have a back like that, you have to get them legs to stop moving. That’s what he’s good at; those legs don’t stop. I don’t think it’s anybody’s fault. It’s the game of football. I’ll give him all my prayers.”
Chubb remains one of the best running backs in the NFL. The teams are rallying around the injury to pray for Chubb’s recovery, even though he will miss the rest of the season. Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said he “wasn’t going to comment” on the accusations that it was a dirty hit.
Due to the injury’s severity, the hit could potentially be reviewed by the league office. However, it seems unlikely that anything would come of it. As for now, the attention turns to Chubb and just how severe the injury is in his left knee. It is the same knee that he suffered a near-catastrophic injury while at Georgia in 2015.