Falcons Have 'Got to Stop' RB Nick Chubb in Order to Win Sunday vs. Browns

The Atlanta Falcons have prided themselves on running the football this season. Their 156.7 rushing yards per game ranks fifth in the NFL and Cordarrelle Patterson, last week's NFC Offensive Player of the Week, sits second on the leaderboard for total rushing yards.

Who ranks first in that category? The Cleveland Browns and Nick Chubb, who will be on the opposite sideline against the Falcons on Sunday. Head coach Arthur Smith says the team will be ready for the challenge.

"It'll be a really physical game on Sunday," Smith said. "They're going to try to run Nick Chubb 500 times, and we've got to stop him."

One of the players who will be tasked primarily with stopping Chubb and the Cleveland rushing attack is defensive lineman Grady Jarrett, who has improved tremendously this season after a rough 2021 campaign. However, Jarrett believes there is room for improvement.

"(The Seahawks) got a little too much on the ground," Jarrett said after last week's game. "We've got to be better, definitely, across the board against the run."

The Falcons are tied for 15th in the league in rushing yards allowed per game with 109.3. Last week, the team allowed 112 yards to a backfield led by Rashaad Penny. While Penny is a decent running back, Chubb and the Browns backfield presents a whole new challenge, and the Falcons will have to prioritize defending a run if they want to win their second straight game.

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