It's always a unique story when NFL history is made; however, like many things in life, history comes in two very different forms. There's the kind of accomplishment you'd want to proudly showcase, and the kind you'd rather bury and never mention again. For the 2026 Cleveland Browns, the NFL history they made after a Week 4 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers would technically qualify as the "never speak of it again" type, but that may not be the case if you look at it from the right angle.
The Browns are off to a surprising 3-1 start to the 2026 NFL season and have been unquestionably one of the biggest surprises. While it hasn't always been pretty, a few strange statistics show they may actually be defying the NFL odds by starting with three wins
in four games. Fortunately, there's still something positive to take away from it.
In one of the strangest forms of NFL history, OptaSTATS revealed the Browns are the first team to have a winning record through four games when they have:
- Fewer touchdowns
- Fewer made field goals
- Fewer rushing yards
- Fewer net passing yards
- More turnovers
- More penalties
Than their opponents over that four-game span. It's a somewhat baffling combination of stats, and while it looks like a list of negatives, viewing it with a glass half full could shift that perspective slightly.
Why the Browns' strange 4-game NFL history could be considered a positive thing
The Browns are the only team in NFL history to have:
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) October 2, 2026
fewer TDs
fewer made FGs
fewer rushing yards
fewer net passing yards
more turnovers
more penalties
...than their opponents through 4 games of a season and yet still have a winning record.
It goes without saying that nothing on the list above is a good thing for the Browns. However, even with all of those statistics working against them, they've still managed to push through to a 3-1 start.
So, what happens if the Browns can fix some of those mistakes as the season goes on? What if Cleveland can cut the penalties, avoid turnovers and continue building its rushing attack?
Realistically, it could signal that the Browns aren't playing anywhere close to their ceiling right now. That would be bad news if they were 1-3 instead of 3-1, but this shows that Todd Monken's team has the ability to be even better if they can put it all together and build on their winning start.
Going even one step further, it's a great sign for the Browns' future. Their core appears to be coming together at several key positions, and even if they can't alleviate these mistakes until the offseason or the start of next season, the Dawg Pound should feel pretty good about the direction things are going.
Even if it takes time for the key statistical areas referenced above to flip in Cleveland's favor, one thing is clear: the arrow is pointing up, and the fanbase should feel optimistic about the team's future.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: The Browns made the single weirdest bad NFL history, but is it actually a good sign?
