Baker Mayfield's playoff victory is Browns fans' worst nightmare

The Cleveland Browns were one of the best stories of this NFL season. Bruised and battered after losing star running back Nick Chubb in Week 2, the Browns started five different quarterbacks but rode arguably the league's best defense to an 11-6 record and the 5-seed in the AFC.

Three days after witnessing their magical season come to an end at the hands of C.J. Stroud and the Texans, Browns fans are in a very dark place. One of pro sports' most tortured fanbases envisioned a fairytale ending to their season, but watching 39-year-old quarterback Joe Flacco turn into a pumpkin on national TV proves the old axiom that you should be careful what you wish for.

To make matters worse, beloved former quarterback Baker Mayfield looked phenomenal in leading the Tampa Bay Bucs to a dominating 32-9 victory over the defending NFC champ Philadelphia Eagles.

Browns fans forced to watch Baker Mayfield fairytale continue

Flacco made his case for being the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year after making his debut for the Browns in Week 13. In many ways, he looked like the same Flacco that put together one of the best postseasons in NFL history in 2013 when he led the Ravens to the Super Bowl. Flacco woke up a dormant Browns offense and rolled off four straight wins to lock up a playoff berth, averaging over 300 yards through the air in five games.

Perhaps just as important as leading their team to the playoffs, Flacco's play allowed Browns fans to temporarily forget the elephant in the room that has turned them from lovable underdogs to one of the more reviled teams in the NFL. I'm speaking, of course, of Deshaun Watson.

We all know the baggage that Watson carries, baggage that the Browns disregarded when they acquired the troubled former Clemson quarterback from the Texans two years ago. Cleveland gave up multiple first-round picks and handed Watson a contract with a record-setting $230 million guaranteed, and in doing so, moved on from fan favorite Baker Mayfield, who has since bounced around the league before finding a home with Tampa this year.

Houston used the windfall from the Watson deal to inject new life into its franchise, while the Browns haven't even come close to seeing a return on their investment in Watson. The embattled quarterback has often been injured, which necessitated the team signing Flacco in the first place, but even when he was able to play, Watson has been a far cry from the quarterback that made three Pro Bowls with the Texans.

Mayfield, on the other hand, has landed on his feet with the Bucs after a lost season with the Panthers and Rams in 2022. The former No. 1 pick threw for over 4,000 yards this year, and he has given Bucs fans new hope after the retirement of Tom Brady. His gaudy stat line of 337 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions against the Eagles could have been even better if not for some key drops by his receivers.

Mayfield entered the season locked in a battle with the inexperienced Kyle Trask for the starting job, but he's now entrenched himself as Tampa's long-term solution at the game's most important position. Bucs fans have fallen in love with him in much the same way Browns fans once did, while Cleveland is left with a quarterback that is both unliked and ineffective in Watson. Worse still, the Browns can't hope to realistically get out of Watson's contract until 2027, meaning they'll have to suffer through at least three more years of this, all while living vicariously through Baker and the Bucs from afar.

The return of Chubb and one of the league's best defenses should give the Browns hope next season. Don't try to tell Browns fans that now, though, especially while Mayfield and the Bucs are still alive and thriving. Sometimes you don't know what you've got until it's gone.