Ford went in-depth with us on the state of the Browns earlier this week following the team's big win over the Ravens ... and he made it clear to us that Hunt has played a huge role in Cleveland keeping the wheels on despite the loss of Chubb -- both on and off the field.

"When Nick left," Ford said, "it left a gap in the running back room. And Kareem came in and -- I really don't know how to explain it other than to say that he brought the juice back."

You'll recall, after Chubb tore up his knee against the Steelers on Sept. 18 ... Cleveland turned to Hunt on Sept. 20 to bolster its RB corps.

And, according to Ford, the roster move changed everything.

"He came in, joking and playing," Ford said. "And he gave us the juice that we needed to kind of, like, 'Yeah, Nick's down, but we gotta keep pushing.'"

The Browns are 5-2 since Hunt joined the squad ... and in those seven contests, he's scored six total touchdowns.

Ford says Chubb, meanwhile, is doing well in his recovery ... and helping out whenever he can.