Getty Nick Chubb of the Cleveland Browns.
Charles Barkley was among the bettors who suffered a bad beat on Sunday when Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb went out of bounds at the 1-yard line in the final seconds against the Houston Texans to cover the spread, and the NBA Hall of Famer is not happy about it.
Barkley joined ESPN Cleveland to voice his frustration about the Browns not covering the 4.5 points because of the play, saying he wants to punch Chubb in the face next time he sees him.
“If you guys see Nick Chubb, please just punch him in his face for me,” Barkley said. “I had the Browns last week and let me tell you something — I don’t know Nick Chubb, he’s a nice kid, but if he runs out of bounds like that again I’m going to fly to Cleveland personally and beat the hell out of him. I’m jumping up and down thinking I’m going to get this cover, and when he ran out of bounds, I was like, ‘Wait. Did he just run out of bounds?’ So next time I see Nick Chubb, I’m going to punch him in the face.”
We just found out Charles Barkley had the Browns -4.5 last week.
Charles jokes on Chubb: “He’s a nice kid, but if he ever runs out of bounds like that again…”
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While Chubb’s now-viral play ultimately ended up being the difference for bettors, the Pro Bowl back helped propel the Browns to victory.
The Browns piled up 231 rushing yards in the messy affair behind Chubb and Kareem Hunt. Chubb finished the afternoon with 126 yards — 59 coming on that last play. Hunt bullied his way for 104 yards and caught three balls for 28 yards.
Nick Chubb Praised for Team-First Approach
GettyNick Chubb and Baker Mayfield of the Cleveland Browns.
Chubb doesn’t care about your fantasy team or the spread, which he made abundantly clear with his exit at the 1-yard line against Houston. But that’s the kind of player Chubb is, consistently with a team-first approach.
“I got a call from the coach and from Baker to not score and to get the first down to end the game so that is what I did,” Chubb told reporters. “Luckily, the run was a little bit longer because I didn’t think about it until the last 10 yards. I think that reminded me, running all the way down there.”
“I got a call from the coaches, from Baker (Mayfield) to not score, get a first down to end the game. So that’s what I did. Luckily the run was a little longer because I didn’t think about it until the last 10 yards.” — Nick Chubb via @Jake_Trotter.
By running out of bounds, Chubb eliminated even the small chance that the Texans could come back form two scores down with less than a minute left.
“I would not have been mad at him if he scored, but we told him – our code word for that is ‘no mas.’ We told him that before the third down,” Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said. “You are thinking gain the first and go down. Well, he gained the first and more. I would not have been mad at him, but knowing Nick, when you tell him to do something, he is going to do it.”
Nick Chubb Confident After 100-Yard Game
The Browns run game got the team back on track to stay in the hunt for a playoff spot with the win against the Texans. Chubb and guard Wyatt Teller returning obviously played a large role in that.
Chubb suffered a knee injury against Dallas in Week 4, but felt back to normal with no brace on against Houston.
“It felt good to get out there and actually get tackled,” Chubb told reporters. “I knew coming in last week that I felt good, but I haven’t gotten hit in about five weeks. Going out there and playing a full game and having no troubles with it, it brings a lot of confidence in it.”
Chubb has gone over the 100-yard mark in three of his five games this season. In the two he didn’t it was due to injury and game flow. He exited the game against Dallas when he got injured after just six carries and the Browns almost abandoned the run game in a blowout 38-6 loss in their opener against the Ravens.
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Charles Barkley: I’m Going to Punch Nick Chubb in the Face