QB Jameis Winston doesn’t believe in coincidences.
That’s why, before the Browns hosted the Steelers on Thursday Night Football in Week 12, Winston shared a short and simple message with RB Nick Chubb.
“Before this game, I told Nick, I said, ‘I got you today,'” Winston recalled. “I know how important this was for him. And we ain’t going to talk about last year. Y’all all know the gig. But I’m so grateful and happy that I was able to see a smile on his face after that sweet victory against this team.”
Just 14 months ago, Chubb sustained a season-ending knee injury in Week 2 of the 2023 season against the Steelers in Pittsburgh. He was carted off the field, evaluated both at the stadium and at a local hospital and traveled back to Cleveland.
It began a year-long recovery process – which required two separate knee surgeries to repair the medial capsule, meniscus and medical collateral ligament (MCL), as well as his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) – and a lengthy rehabilitation process for him to take the field for the first time in Week 7 against the Bengals this season.
And while his return to the field in Week 7 – in which he scored a rushing touchdown – was significant on its own, facing the Steelers on Thursday Night Football held a different magnitude.
“It meant a lot to me,” DE Myles Garrett said. “I know it means a lot to him. He won’t say it, but it’s true, I’ll say it. This time last year, we were sick to our stomachs, and it hurt to have his family hurting, having to see that. For him to deal with all that, had to go through that kind of recovery, that mental obstacle. Not knowing what your future is and how long it’s going to take to get back. There was just so much in the air. For him to come back and be pivotal in this game, it just speaks to the kind of resilience and the man that he is, and we absolutely love him.”
