Here is one way for the glass-is-half-full crowd to look at the situation the 1-3 Browns are in after back-to-back losses to the Giants and Raiders: As bad as things appear — and they certainly appear pretty bad right now — no team is running away with the AFC North. The Steelers are 3-1, the Ravens are 2-2 and the Bengals, like the Browns, are 1-3. Reinforcements are on the way. Coach Kevin Stefanski on a Zoom call Sept. 30 said Nick Chubb will be activated from the Physically Unable to Perform list and practice on Oct 2 for the first time this season. From that point, the Browns will have a 21-day window to decide whether Chubb is ready to be added to the 53-man roster. If they decide he isn’t ready, he will revert to P.U.P. for the remainder of the season. Chubb is working his way back from a knee injury sustained on Sept. 18, 2023, in the second game of the season when Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick hit Chubb flush on the outside of the star running back’s left knee. Chubb underwent one surgery in September of last year and another one in November to fix the damage. Related Articles Cleveland Browns | Deshaun Watson says he deserves blame after Browns drop to 1-3 Cleveland Browns | Raiders hold off Browns’ rally to win, 20-16 Cleveland Browns | Browns’ issues on offense go far beyond Deshaun Watson | Opinion Cleveland Browns | Browns’ Nick Chubb reportedly returning to practice Cleveland Browns | Deshaun Watson to Amari Cooper clicking for Browns again “He’s working very hard,” Stefanski said on the Zoom call. “Natural progression is for him to start practicing, and he’s ready to do that. And then we’ll see how he goes from there. But not really focused much further past Wednesday.” It is unrealistic to expect Chubb to be ready to face the Commanders in Landover, Md., on Oct. 6, but tight end David Njoku might return from the ankle injury that sidelined him the past three games. Njoku practiced on a limited basis Sept. 26 with his right ankle swathed in tape. “I do expect (Njoku) to practice at some point this week and then we’ll make that determination,” Stefanski said. The Browns have scored six offensive touchdowns and five field goals this season, plus a touchdown on a fumble return by safety Rodney McLeod in the 20-16 loss to the Raiders on Sept. 29. The Browns scored on their first possession in all four games — a 51-yard field goal by Dustin Hopkins at the end of a six-play, 13-yard drive in the opener, a one-yard touchdown run by Deshaun Watson on a 16-play, 89-yard drive in the 18-13 win over the Jaguars, a 24-yard touchdown pass from Watson to Amari Cooper on the play after the Browns recovered a kickoff fumbled by the Giants and a one-yard pass from Watson to tight end Blake Whiteheart to end a 15-play, 70-yard opening drive against the Raiders. But the “score, get ball back, repeat” cycle is broken. “It’s something we need to get better at, certainly,” Stefanski said. “You watch the tape of yesterday’s game,, I give the Raiders credit, but it’s not like something changed from drive one to drive two or drive three. “It really is about us and making sure that we’re on top of what we’re doing. Your scripted plays typically take you into the second quarter. So it’s something that we just have to take a long, hard look at, finding a way to score points. I don’t care when it is in the drive, it’s just we got to go find a way to score more points.” Wide receiver Jerry Jeudy says the problem is the Browns are committing too many penalties. They led the NFL with 24 penalties after two weeks. They were penalized five times in each of the last two games. “I feel like once we eliminate those self-inflicted wounds, we’ll be way better than what we are,” Jeudy said on a Zoom call. “We hate having a losing record, but we know the season’s still early. “Each individual just needs to focus on their details and their assignment and their execution on the play that’s given. That’s how we stick together. Just how all 11 being on the same page. That’s how plays work and how you become a great offense.” The Browns have been penalized 21 times on offense. Eight were holding calls and six were false starts. Others include ineligible receiver downfield and illegal motion. Browns at Commanders When: 1 p.m., Oct. 6 Where: Northwest Stadium, Landover, Md. Records: Browns 1-3, Commanders 3-1 TV: WJW Radio: WKRK-FM 92.3, WNCX-FM 98.5, WKNR-AM 850, WKKY-FM 104.7