The Browns will attempt to take down the league's only remaining undefeated team without a key weapon.
Running back Nick Chubb (calf) will not play in Cleveland's Week 6 game against Arizona, the team announced Friday. Linebacker Malcolm Smith (abdomen) also will not play.
Cleveland's injury list is lengthy heading into the highly anticipated showdown with Arizona, with 17 players appearing on Thursday's injury report. Among the notable names: Jadeveon Clowney (elbow/knee), Myles Garrett (knee/ankle), Kareem Hunt (wrist/knee), Malik Jackson (knee), Greg Newsome II (calf), David Njoku (knee), JC Tretter (knee), Denzel Ward (neck), and Jedrick Wills (ankle).
Only one of those players -- linebacker Elijah Lee -- improved to a full participant Thursday, while the rest either did not participate or were limited in the session. Clowney, Conklin, Garrett, Hunt, McKinley, Ward, Newsome, Tretter, Hunt and undrafted rookie A.J. Green are all questionable for Sunday.
The injury report paints a negative picture for the 3-2 Browns, who are looking to bounce back from a heartbreaking road loss to the Chargers (4-1) last week and aren't getting a reprieve with the Cardinals, a red-hot team that had scored 31 or more points in every game prior to last week's 17-10 win over the 49ers. Cleveland's defense, which had carried the Browns to consecutive victories in Weeks 2 and 3, is clearly banged up and will hope most of the players who landed on the report will be able to suit up Sunday.
Arizona isn't exactly healthy, either. Twelve players appeared on the injury report Thursday, but their notable names largely participated, save for DeAndre Hopkins (illness), Rodney Hudson (ribs/shoulder) and Tanner Vallejo (hand).
Arizona's game status report is expected to arrive later Friday for a clearer picture of the injury landscape entering the weekend.
