Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski acknowledged after Monday's 26-14 loss to the Steelers that Chubb played through a rib injury during the contest, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. "He got a little banged up with a rib injury," Stefanski said of the running back. "He was able to play through it, but he needed some rest."
Chubb suffered the injury early on in the contest, which may explain why he earned just 12 touches, his second-lowest total of the season. Though Stefanski downplayed the health concern after the game, Chubb's status will bear monitoring as the Browns head into their season finale this Sunday against the Bengals. Since Cleveland has already been eliminated from playoff contention, the team could take a cautious approach with the star back and limit his workload or withhold him entirely from a mostly meaningless Week 18 game.