Whether you choose to call it deja-vu, what could have been, or just plain regret, Cleveland Browns fans, whose team is 0-2, experienced a gamut of emotions during the Monday Night Football game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Houston Texans.
Why? Two beloved former Browns, Baker Mayfield and Nick Chubb, both 2018 draft picks who were integral to the team’s success in the 2020 season’s playoff run, were facing each other with their current teams, the Buccaneers and the Texans. Mayfield and Chubb made big plays.
Baker Mayfield
Mayfield has found a good landing spot in Tampa Bay after brief stints in Carolina and with the Los Angeles Rams since leaving the Browns in 2022. He has succeeded his predecessor, the GOAT, Tom Brady with his style of play and personality.
He made big plays in the game including a 15 yard run on fourth down in what turned out to be the game winning drive.
BAKER MAYFIELD ESCAPES AND SAVES THE GAME ON FOURTH DOWN
pic.twitter.com/asXY5ULQvi— John Frascella (Football) (@NFLFrascella) September 16, 2025
Nick Chubb
Chubb was a free agent at the end of the 2024 season, and Browns fans have not gotten over the disappointment over the front office letting him go. He showed that despite two devastating injuries in recent years, he still has it, with a touchdown run in the MNF game.
NICK CHUBB’S FIRST TOUCHDOWN AS A TEXAN!
📺: @espnnfl / @ABC13houston pic.twitter.com/6KsZJF7gi1
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) September 16, 2025
Mayfield’s Bucs bested Chubb’s Texans by the score of 20-19 and go to 2-0 on the season while the Texans fall to 0-2. It seems like no matter what the outcome of the game, the two former Browns were destined to meet on the field after the game and share a moment.
Nick Chubb scored the go-ahead TD…
Baker Mayfield led the game-winning TD drive…
They hugged after the game.#Browns fans… look away.pic.twitter.com/YNZmo8sEEY
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 16, 2025
Seeing these two former Browns succeed elsewhere might be heartwrenching for Browns fans, but both deserved to go to new teams, get a fresh start, and do well.
