October 27, 1991. The 4-3 Browns were hosting the 3-4 Steelers, and Vegas oddsmakers set the Browns as 1.5-point favorites. Bernie Kosar would complete 21 of 29 passes for 179 yards and a score, while Kevin Mack would lead the team with 54 yards rushing on 19 carries. It was not a great offensive day for the Browns, but the team managed to pick off Neil O’Donnell two times, and held Merrill Hoge to just 48 yards on 12 carries (the factor back chipped in with 56 receiving yards, too). Clay Matthews — the middle one — had one sack, Louis Lipps led all players with 69 receiving yards, and the only thing that would trick you into thinking that this game didn’t take place generations ago was that Matt Stover started the scoring with a 34-yard field goal.

That was the last time the Browns (a) were favored to beat the Steelers and (b) actually beat the Steelers. Since then, Cleveland has been an underdog or lost to Pittsburgh in 42 consecutive games. During that stretch, the Browns were only favorites three times: in 1994, when the team lost at home 17-14 despite being 2.5 points, in 2003, when Cleveland lost at home 13-6 as 3-point favorites, and last year, when Cleveland lost at home as 2-point favorites, 27-11. The quarterbacks for the Browns in that game were Vinny Testaverde, Kelly Holcomb, and Brandon Weeden, a declining pattern in quarterback play that Browns can must hope does not end with Brian Hoyer. On Sunday, Cleveland is currently listed as 1.5-point favorites, and based on each team’s results so far, I like their odds of ending the streak. ^[1]So far, the Browns have an SRS rating slightly higher than Pittsburgh’s; coupled with being at home, and I agree with Vegas that Cleveland should be the favorite.

I don’t think I’m breaking any news in telling you that the Browns have generally been bad, and the Steelers have generally been good. But isn’t it kind of crazy to go 42 straight games against the same team where you either are expected to lose or actually lose? As it turns out, yes, yes it is kind of crazy. It’s the second-longest streak in NFL history, at least according to the game spreads at Pro-Football-Reference. Can you guess the longest?

The table below shows all teams since 1978 to be underdogs or losers in at least 20 straight games against the same opponent. In addition to the Browns/Steelers, there are quite a few other active streaks:

• We all know about the Mo Lewis game — you know, the one where Lewis injured Drew Bledsoe, allowing Tom Brady to enter the game? That 2001 game was the last time the Jets entered a game against the Patriots as the favorite and won. Four of the Jets last seven wins against New England have come on the road, where New York will never be favored, and the other three were home wins where the Pats were roughly 3-point favorites. The streak will hit 28 games a week from today, and will probably hit 29 by the end of the year.

• The Jets aren’t exactly unique in this regard. Last December, the Dolphins beat the Patriots in Miami in a game in which New England was a 2.5-point underdog. That was the first time since 2003 — in the 31-0 game played in the wake of the Lawyer Milloy release — that New England lost an AFC East game as an underdog. For the Dolphins, the streak spanned 23 straight games; for the Bills, this Sunday will mark the 22nd time Buffalo has either been an underdog or lost to the Pats. ^[2]Note: In the table below, I have used the #22, including Sunday’s game. For the Jets, I have used 27, since the line for the week 7 game is not yet out. For Raiders/Chargers, I have used 22, … Continue reading

• The Raiders had gone 21 straight games where Oakland either lost to, or was an underdog against, San Diego. The teams meet this weekend, with the 7-point favorite Chargers assured of extending that streak to 22 games. This one might not change for awhile.

• In every game from 2004 to 2013 — including the team’s playoff matchup in ’04 — the Rams have either lost to the Seahawks or been the underdog. That streak has almost no chance of ending in 2014, so it should jump to at least 23 games.

Here’s something you might not have noticed from that table: there are TWO 20-game streaks between the Cardinals and Cowboys. From 1978 (and perhaps earlier) until 1988, the Cardinals did not beat the Cowboys in a game in which Dallas was the underdog. That pattern repeated itself beginning with the teams’ second meeting in ’90 and ending in 1999.

Finally, let’s close with a list of the longest streaks for each franchise against a single opponent where the team was either an underdog or lost the game.

• In a weird twist, the Chargers will stretch their steak against Oakland to 22 games on Sunday, while the Raiders had a 21-game streak against San Diego that ended 11 years ago.

• The Steelers, overlords of all things Ohio, have their worst streak come against the Patriots. The run was extended to 11 games last year, and the teams do not play this year.

• The only other streak that didn’t involve division rivals was Minnesota/San Francisco. The Vikings longest streak against the Packers was 12 games (ending in ’85), against the Bears was 11 games (ending in ’88), and against the Lions 7 games (current). But from 1983 to 1997, the Vikings played the 49ers once every year other than 1996 (zero games) and 1988 and 1997 (two games each). The 49ers beat Minnesota as an underdog in ’83, and then was favored in the next 15 times the teams faced (with Minnesota going 5-10). The teams didn’t meet in 1998, but the Vikings ended things by beating the 49ers 40-16 as 7-point favorites in 1999.

What stands out to you from these tables? Leave your thoughts in the comments.