Nick Chubb returning to the lineup just in time to face the Bengals on Oct. 20 worked out perfectly for the Browns, because leading rusher Jerome Ford has been ruled out with a hamstring injury. Chubb has not played since he suffered a severe knee injury in a game with the Steelers on Sept. 18 of last year. He began the 2024 season on the Physically Unable to Perform list. He was activated from the P.U.P. list on Sept. 29. He had to be added to the 53-man roster this week or go back to the P.U.P. list for the rest of the season. “I’m ready to get out there with the team, ready to do whatever I can,” Chubb said in the Browns’ locker room in Berea. “I feel good.” The coaches knew Oct. 14 that Ford would not be available to play against the Bengals; Coach Kevin Stefanski said Ford is “week to week” with the hamstring injury. Chubb has fresher legs than Pierre Strong or D’Onta Foreman, the Browns’ two other running backs. The Browns are 1-5 and desperately need to beat the Bengals to have a chance of saving their season, but offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey suggested Chubb will be eased back into a gameday workload. It would be a surprise if he has more than 15 carries. “We want to make sure that we’re doing the right thing for us and for Nick to make sure that he’s available for the long term,” Dorsey said Oct. 16. “We’re going to constantly evaluate that throughout the week, and we’re not going to rush any decisions on how much, what plays, what anything in terms of Nick. We’re not going to rush any decisions on that.” Stefanski added Oct. 18: “Talking with Nick, talking with how he feels and with Duce (running backs coach Duce Staley), we have a plan in place. And then you have to be ready to adjust based on how Nick is feeling.” The Browns ran the ball a season-high 29 times last week in a 20-16 loss to the Eagles. Ford was injured on an 11-yard run with 9:21 left in the first quarter on his second carry of the game. Strong led the Browns with eight carries for 43 yards. Some of Chubb’s best games have been against the Bengals. He has faced them 10 times in a career that began in 2018. He has carried 175 times for 903 yards and seven touchdowns against the Bengals. All three categories are personal bests against any individual opponent. “I can’t tell you why,” Chubb said in his typically subdued tone. “We take it a week at a time. We’re just trying to get a win, whoever we’re playing that week.” The Browns are 8-2 against the Bengals in games in which Chubb played. Bengals at Browns When: 1 p.m., Oct. 20 Where: Huntington Bank Field Records: Bengals 2-4, Browns 1-5 TV: WOIO Radio: WKRK-FM 92.3, WNCX-FM 98.5, WKNR-AM 850, WKKY-FM 104.7