Close games are supposed to even out over the course of a season. Most teams win a few tight ones, lose a few others and land somewhere in the middle by December. The Browns have thrown that idea out the window. Sunday’s comeback against the Houston Texans pushed their run of nail-biters into territory the NFL has never seen.
Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN shared the historic note after the 27-24 win.
“The Browns are the first team in NFL history whose first six wins of a season all come by 4 points or fewer, according to ESPN Research,” Oyefusi wrote.
The Browns are the first team in NFL history whose first six wins of a season all come by 4 points or fewer, according to ESPN Research.
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) November 15, 2026
The list of results shows just how tight this season has been. The Browns beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-19, the Carolina Panthers 21-18, the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-24, the Baltimore Ravens 13-10, the Tennessee Titans 27-24 and now the Texans 27-24. Five of those 6 wins came by exactly 3 points. All 6 combined add up to a margin of just 19 points.
None of them came easily. Every one was decided by a score in the final minutes, and Deshaun Watson has led a game-winning drive in each of them. His 6 game-winning drives lead the NFL, and Sunday’s came after the Browns fell behind 17-0 in the 2nd quarter.
There are 2 ways to read this kind of history. One is that the Browns have a rare ability to stay calm when games get tight. Watson has been at his best late, the defense has made stops when it needed them and Andre Szmyt has come through in big moments, including the 32-yard winner in Tennessee.
The other is that a team winning by such small margins is walking a tightrope. A couple of bounces going the other way could have left this team well under .500.
Browns fans have also seen the flip side. The losses in New York and New Orleans were both decided by 5 points or fewer, including the 23-22 overtime defeat when a 2-point try came up short.
Still, there is no asterisk next to a win. The Browns are 6-4, unbeaten at home and firmly in the AFC playoff race. They have already cleared their preseason win total of 5.5, and they have done it in a way no team before them ever has.
If the pattern holds, Browns fans should expect more close finishes over the final 7 games.
NEXT: Todd Monken Sends Message To Browns Fans After Sunday’s Win
