Somehow, the Cleveland Browns Have the Best NFL Schedule Reveal
I’ll get a lot of hate for this, but I make no apologies. The Halo-themed video by the L.A. Chargers has nothing, and I mean nothing, on what the Cleveland Browns have done. Let’s give it to them—this might be the only thing they’ll win for a long time.
On May 14, the Cleveland Browns released a video across their social channels revealing their 2026-27 season schedule. The Browns and former Game Theorists host Matthew Patrick, aka “MatPat” (an unabashed Browns fan), throw it back to 1991 with a schedule video heavily inspired by Street Fighter II. What good timing, considering the movie is coming out later this year.
Whoever made the video is a true nerd, too, because it has one of the wildest Easter eggs referencing an iconic moment in competitive fighting game history.
While some NFL schedule videos range from “pretty good” (the Raiders doing a Step Brothers parody) to “What The Hell Are They Thinking?” (my beloved New York Giants doing, uh, Pictionary), the Chargers and the Browns put the “yeah” in “hell yeah, brother” with official Halo and Street Fighter collabs, respectively. While the Chargers’ video is intricate and made with a lot of love for Halo (and will surely reawaken people’s memories of Red vs. Blue), hats off to the Browns. The aesthetics, the sound design, the pixel animation, the creative reimagining of different NFL teams as Street Fighter bosses—the Browns’ social team really locked in here. Immaculate.
My favorite and best part happens at 0:31. In the announcement that the Browns will play the Buccaneers in week two on September 20, the Browns—represented by Quinshon Judkins—recreates the iconic “Daigo Parry.” Yes, a major NFL team referenced a legendary moment in fighting game history. Let this sink in.
For those who aren’t aware: Back at the Evolution Championship Series in 2004, the Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike semifinals featured a match-up between Daigo Umehara and Justin Wong—two of the greatest fighting game competitors to walk God’s green earth. In the decisive third round, Umehara (playing Ken) was down to his very last bit of health when Justin Wong (playing Chun-Li) triggered Chun-Li’s memorable Lightning Kicks—a flurry of attacks that even if Umehara blocked them would still deplete his health to zero.
But Umehara had one trick up his sleeve. 15 of them, actually. As Wong let Chun-Li’s kicks fly, Umehara parried each of Chun-Li’s kicks, which is a feat that demands superhuman precision and focus to pull off. It would have been impressive if Umehara parried just one kick. He countered all of them. And after he did, Umehara took advantage of an open window and unleashed his own burst of attacks to claim victory.
Although Daigo did not win the tournament, “Evo Moment #37” has gone down in fighting game lore as one of the greatest comeback moments in competitive gaming. It’s super nerdy to know about, so it’s incredible that someone at Browns HQ knew and seized on their chance to pay homage to it. Now, if only the Browns themselves could actually lock in.
Entertainment Journalist
Eric Francisco is a pop culture journalist who specializes in all things superhero, sci-fi, gaming, and beyond. Formerly the senior film/TV writer at Inverse, his work has also appeared in Esquire, Vulture, The Hollywood Reporter, The A.V. Club, Observer, and more. You can find him on Twitter/X @EricFrancisco24, or by following the sound of his screaming at New Jersey Devils games.
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