Baker Mayfield will join this rare list of playoff quarterbacks if Browns can upset Steelers in wild-card game
The Browns quarterback could do something that only two other quarterbacks have pulled off since 1995

The Cleveland Browns have already ended one playoff drought this year and they could end another one on Sunday if they're able to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in the wild-card round. If the Browns somehow manage to pull off the upset, not only would they earn the team's first playoff win since 1994, but it would also allow Baker Mayfield to join a rare list.
Mayfield will be making the first postseason start of his career and if the Browns win, he'd become just the ninth No. 1 overall pick to win his debut playoff game. Unfortunately for the Browns, No. 1 overall picks haven't fared so well in their first playoff start. As a matter of fact, you could argue that it's been a total disaster. Of the 18 quarterbacks selected with the top pick since 1990, only two of them have won their first playoff game.
Overall, those 18 quarterbacks have combined to go 2-10 in their first career playoff start. If you're wondering why that total record doesn't come out to 18 games, it's because two quarterbacks never started in a playoff game ever (David Carr and Sam Bradford) while the four other quarterbacks are still active and have yet to play in the postseason (Mayfield, Kyler Murray, Joe Burrow and Jameis Winston).
Of those 10 losses, many of them came from notable names, including Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck, Cam Newton and Eli Manning.
In the Super Bowl era, only eight No. 1 overall picks have ever led their team to a playoff win in their first start and that's only if you include Steve Young, who was the top pick in the 1984 supplemental draft. If you don't count Young, that number goes down to seven.
The last top pick to win their first ever playoff start was Alex Smith, who led the 49ers to an upset win over the Saints in 2011, which was six years after San Francisco made him the first overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft. The only other top pick quarterback to engineer a postseason win since 2000 was Michael Vick, who won a playoff game for the Falcons in 2002, two years after being taken with No. 1 overall pick. Vick is the only one of the eight who earned his first win on the road, which is what Mayfield will have to do on Sunday.
The other interesting thing about this list is that one of the top picks who did win their first career playoff start did it with the Browns. The quarterback in Cleveland's last playoff win was Vinny Testaverde, who led them to a win over the Patriots in January 1995. Although Testaverde was drafted by the Buccaneers, his first playoff start came with the Browns.
One other piece of good news for Mayfield is that of the eight top pick quarterbacks who did win their first start, four of them went on to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Here's a look at the top picks who won their first career playoff start.
| PLAYER (DRAFT YEAR) | FIRST POSTSEASON START |
|---|---|
Alex Smith, 49ers (2005) | 2011 Divisional vs. New Orleans |
Michael Vick, Falcons (2000) | 2002 Wild Card at Packers |
Troy Aikman, Cowboys (1989) | 1992 Divisional vs. Eagles |
Vinny Testaverde, drafted by Buccaneers, won game with Browns (1987) | 1994 Wild Card vs. Patriots |
Steve Young, drafted by Buccaneers, won game with 49ers (1984 supplemental) | 1992 Divisional vs. Washington |
Steve Bartkowski, Falcons (1975) | 1978 Wild Card vs. Eagles |
Jim Plunkett, Raiders (1971) | 1980 Wild Card vs. Houston Oilers |
Terry Bradshaw, Steelers (1970) | 1972 Divisional vs. Raiders |
















