The Cincinnati Bengals lost in the regular season finale to the Cleveland Browns, and while they weren't fighting for the AFC North title, this loss still stings.
One of the main takeaways from this loss wasn't that the offense was bad, or that the defense finally shut down an opposing offense; it was the two defensive touchdowns the Browns got on the Bengals.
Of the two, one touchdown came on a Noah Fant fumble. That play made NFL history, which is hard to believe. James Rapien of Bengals Talk shared the wild Fant statistic, which was further corroborated by ESPN's Ben Baby.
Bengals Noah Fant makes hard-to-believe NFL history
"Noah Fant has THREE fumble-sixes this year." Rapien writes. "Three fumbles that have gone the other way for touchdowns. YEESH."
But, if it gets even worse: "Noah Fant is the first non-QB since at least 1978 to have 3 lost fumbles returned for touchdowns in a season according to ESPN Research and @Ben_Baby."
Fant's fumble returned for a touchdown against the Browns was his third of the 2025 season, and it's the first time since 1978 that a non-quarterback has ever allowed that to happen.
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What makes this statistic such a hard one to understand is that Fant is not a high-volume tag for the Bengals. He's not touched the ball much this season, and yet, made this unfathomable NFL history.
This season, Fant has 34 receptions for 288 yards and three touchdowns. On those 34 receptions, six have gone for touchdowns, three to the Bengals and three to their opponents.
During the 2025 season, Fant gave up a fumble-six on 8.8% of his receptions. Three of his 34 catches led to the opposing team scoring a touchdown.
This is a combination of bad ball security and incredibly bad luck. But it's just another wild statistic from the 2025 season that's hard to believe across the NFL, and it might be the most unfathomable one for the Bengals in 2025.
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