NASHVILLE, Tenn. ― The Browns couldn’t run the football for the better part of the first six games. They tried, but it just never seemed to come together.
And in the seventh game, the running game arrived. At least, it arrived enough to help the Browns escape from Tennessee with a 27-24 win over the Titans.
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The Browns rushed for 183 net yards against the Titans, with an average of 6.3 yards per carry. That’s nearly twice their six-game average of 94.5 yards per game.
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“I just think it was the buy-in,” running back Dylan Sampson said. “Start with the O (offensive) line. They did a hell of a job today just running off the ball, just playing next play after next, and encouraging us to let us know that they had our back. And I think we all just went out there, me, Q (Quinshon Judkins), KC (Concepcion), that’s all a part of the run game. And everybody was trying their hardest to just get as many yards as they can. So we not nowhere close to where we going to be.”
Sampson was making his return to the lineup for the first time since his opening-game knee injury that landed him on injured reserve. He was finally healthy, and it showed in an impressive 45 yards on six carries, for an average of 7.5 yards per carry.
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The return of Sampson was big. Not as big as the return of Judkins, not just from missing the Week 6 win over the Baltimore Ravens, but also not looking like the version everyone saw during his rookie season in 2025.
Judkins ran with explosiveness and power on his way to a season-high 96 yards on 17 carries, an average of 5.6 yards per carry. He also scored two touchdowns in the first half, which helped the Browns rally out of a 14-0 hole to tie the game at 14-14.
“I definitely feel good, going out, especially this week, being super detailed and whatever coach installed on our plays,” Judkins said. “I feel like going out there, just executing in practice and then bringing it to the game.”
Judkins suffered an ankle injury in the Browns’ Week 5 loss at the New York Jets. To that point, he was averaging just 44.2 yards per game over the first five games.
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The 96 yards against the Titans is at least a start in the right direction for a running back who the Browns need to have success if their offense is going to be successful as a whole. If they can get both Judkins and Sampson going at the same time, similar to what they did in Tennessee, then it’s a whole new world of opportunities for the offense.
“I think just having the same mentality,” Judkins said, “really going out there and just harping what coach said, just taking what they give us, you know what I’m saying? Just going out there, same rules, same execution, just playing each play.”
Those two and their ability to run in the traditional rushing offense was complemented by what they were able to get out of wide receiver KC Concepcion. In fact, the game against the Titans was exactly what they had to envision when they selected him with their second first-round pick in April’s draft.
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Concepcion ran three times for 23 yards. That included an 18-yard run that set up quarterback Deshaun Watson’s four-yard touchdown with 4:34 remaining that gave the Browns a 24-17 lead.
“To be honest, I enter every week expecting to have a game like this,” Concepcion said. “This week it was my breakout game. So I just can’t wait to keep stacking weeks.”
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at http://www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ. Sign up for Browns Insider newsletter at https://profile.beaconjournal.com/newsletters/browns-insider/
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Quinshon Judkins, Dylan Sampson breathe life into Browns running game
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