Getty Kareem Hunt #27, of the Cleveland Browns, fails to make a reception after a hit from DeShon Elliott #32, of the Baltimore Ravens, in the game at FirstEnergy Stadium on December 14, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
The Cleveland Browns are bruising their way to the regular season finish line, literally.
Banged up and battered by injuries at key positions across the roster over the last several weeks, the Browns have run into more bad luck in the form of unfortunate scheduling. Coming off a short week, Cleveland will host the league’s first Saturday game of the year this weekend when they welcome in the Las Vegas Raiders to FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns will likely do so down running back Kareem Hunt, according to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Monday.
Browns’ RB Kareem Hunt is now considered week to week with his ankle injury but is, in the words of HC Kevin Stefanski, “unlikely to make it this week on the short week with the game on Saturday.”
“Browns’ RB Kareem Hunt is now considered week to week with his ankle injury but is, in the words of HC Kevin Stefanski, ‘unlikely to make it this week on the short week with the game on Saturday,'” Schefter wrote.
Browns Players Positive in Aftermath of Hunt’s Injury
Getty ImagesRunning back Kareem Hunt, of the Cleveland Browns, is dealing with his second major injury of the season following an ankle issue he suffered in a game against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, December 12.
Hunt went down in the first quarter of Cleveland’s game against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, December 12. He did not return to action.
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Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski elaborated on the injury during the postgame press conference.
“Kareem has an ankle injury,” Stefanski said. “He wanted to try and fight through it, but just didn’t think we should put him back out there.”
That Hunt wanted to return to the field is a good sign. That the coaching staff doesn’t believe he’ll be ready for Saturday following an MRI on the ankle Monday is a decidedly less positive omen.
Still, Hunt’s teammates — namely running back Nick Chubb and quarterback Baker Mayfield — were encouraged about his condition following the team’s win over the Ravens, though both acknowledged that they did not have specifics on his condition.
“He looked fine to me,” Chubb said. “But I haven’t really talked to him with details or anything.”
“Hopefully [the injury is] nothing serious,” Mayfield said. “I haven’t really talked to Kareem, but he seemed like he was in good spirits, positive for next week, so we’ll see. Obviously not my call, but he seemed like he was in good spirits.”
Hard History of Injury for Hunt This Season
GettyRunning back Kareem Hunt, of the Cleveland Browns, is helped off the field by team medical personnel.
Hunt’s ankle problem is the second major injury of the year for the running back. The first came in a game against the Arizona Cardinals on October 17. Hunt went down hard with a calf problem, believing then that might be it for his year.
“I didn’t know at the time what it was,” Hunt said during an interview with Mary Kay Cabot, of Cleveland.com, ahead of his return in late November. “I thought my season could’ve been over.”
Ultimately, Hunt missed five games because of the calf issue. The preliminary diagnosis was that the running back would be out between four and six weeks.
Hunt is likely to miss his sixth game of the season against the Raiders Sunday, but will hopefully be ready to rejoin Chubb in the Browns’ backfield for the final three-week stretch. Cleveland will play the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers on the road the following two weeks, then finish the year at home against the Cincinnati Bengals.