The Cleveland Browns made NFL history during their 47-42 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, but it's definitely not the kind of history a team wants to be making.
The Browns lost to the Chargers on Sunday even though they scored more than 40 points and didn't turn the ball over a single time. Both of those things are notable because this game marked the first time in NFL history that a team lost when scoring 40 or more points in a game where they turned the ball over zero times.
Before Sunday, there had been 401 instances in the Super Bowl era where a team had accomplished both of those things, and those teams combined to go 401-0. However, the Browns ended that improbable 401-game winning streak that had gone on for more than 50 years.
This is UNREAL.
Entering Sunday afternoon, NFL teams were 401-0 in the Super Bowl era when scoring 40 points in a game without committing a turnover.
Following the Browns loss, that number is now 401-1. pic.twitter.com/ekhzFlzmPH
— NFL on CBS ???? (@NFLonCBS) October 11, 2021
The fact that the Browns lost wasn't the only shocking part here; it was also a surprise that this game was even close, because almost every game where a team scored 40 or more points with zero turnovers turned into a blowout. As a matter of fact, the last 10 times it has happened, the winning team has won by an average of 22.1 points. Basically, these games almost always get ugly, but the Browns somehow managed to lose.
To put this in perspective, the last time the Chargers were involved in a game where their opponent put up 40 or more points with zero turnovers, they lost 45-0. That game came last year against the Patriots.
One other twist here is that this game marked just the second time in NFL history that we got a final score of 47-42. The only other time it happened came in, yup, you guessed it, a Browns loss. Back in December 2020, the Browns lost 47-42 to a Ravens team that put up 40 or more points with zero turnovers. The Browns' five-point loss was the closest a team had come to ending the 401-game winning streak since 2007, when the Falcons beat the Seahawks by three (44-41) in a game where Atlanta scored 40 or more points with zero turnovers.
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