Clutch moments are what fans remember most about a quarterback. Statistics fill out the résumé, but the throws that win games in the final minutes are the ones that stick with a city for decades. Cleveland has not had many of those moments over the last 40-plus years. Deshaun Watson has now delivered 2 of them in a row, and it put him in rare company.
NFL Network’s Andrew Siciliano shared the stat, crediting John Todd of NFL Research.
“Deshaun Watson is the first Browns QB to throw a go-ahead, game-winning, TD pass in the final 4 minutes of regulation in consecutive games since Brian Sipe in Weeks 7-8, 1980,” Siciliano posted.
Deshaun Watson is the first Browns QB to throw a go-ahead, game-winning, TD pass in the final 4 minutes of regulation in consecutive games since Brian Sipe in Weeks 7-8, 1980.
🫡 @JohnToddNFL at @NFL Research @NFLPlus
— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) September 30, 2026
That is a 46-year gap. The comparison to Sipe carries plenty of weight. He was named NFL MVP in 1980 after throwing for 4,132 yards and 30 touchdowns, leading a team that became known as the Kardiac Kids because so many of its games came down to the wire. That season ended with a division title before a heartbreaking playoff loss to the Raiders.
Watson’s version of the Kardiac Kids has taken shape over the last 2 weeks. In Tampa Bay, he found Blake Whiteheart for a 17-yard touchdown off play-action with 3:51 remaining to give the Browns a lead they never gave back in a 23-19 win.
He did it again in the home opener. Trailing 18-13 late in the 4th quarter, Watson hit Harold Fannin Jr. for a 14-yard score with 1:48 left and then found Denzel Boston on the 2-point conversion. Ronnie Hickman sealed the 21-18 victory with an interception on Carolina’s final possession.
This stat is not about big numbers. Watson threw for fewer than 150 yards against the Panthers, and the passing game still has plenty of issues to work through. What it measures is the ability to make the right throw when the game is on the line.
That ability had been missing throughout Watson’s time in Cleveland. Before this season, late-game heroics were rarely part of his story with the Browns, which is why his performance over the last 2 weeks has changed the conversation around him.
It has also changed the reaction from the crowd. Watson was booed during the preseason, but he heard cheers as he walked off the field on Sunday.
The timing matters for his future as well. This is the final year of his contract, and every clutch moment strengthens his case as a quarterback who can still win games in this league.
The Pittsburgh Steelers visit Cleveland on Thursday night, and division games against Pittsburgh have a way of coming down to the final minutes. If Watson finds himself in that situation again, he will have a chance to add another chapter to a streak the franchise has not seen in nearly half a century.
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