It’s called complementary football. 

That’s with an “e” and not an “i.”

And because the Browns played complementary football on Sunday, they were able to win their second straight game, 27-14, over the host — and miserably bad —Houston Texans to improve to 5-7 and remain — kinda, sorta, anyway— in AFC playoff contention.

And for that, we compliment the Browns.

You remember complementary football, don’t you? Think back to the halcyon days of the Browns. There were times when the offense or defense didn’t play well, but the Browns still found a way to win because the other units chipped in and picked up the slack.

After not playing competitively for two years, Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson played like … well, he hadn’t played for two years. He was awful. But the defense — with two touchdowns, one on an interception return and the other on a fumble return — and the special teams — with a punt return for a score — bailed him out.

That’s what good teams do.

Now, the Browns aren’t a good team yet, but they’re getting better to the point where they can still triumph when their much-ballyhooed $230 million man isn’t worth a plug nickel.

That’s kind of a backhanded compliment.