Joe Flacco's amazing Browns run ends with playoff dud. Your move, Deshaun Watson | Ulrich

HOUSTON — Joe Flacco transitioning from dad mode to resurrect his NFL career and quarterback the Browns to the playoffs is a remarkable comeback story worthy of a movie.

However, the credits are now rolling on a special Browns season and likely Flacco's days with the organization after Cleveland's 45-14 wild-card loss to the Houston Texans on Saturday night at NRG Stadium.

The Browns defense dominated for the majority of this season, but it struggled throughout the first half Saturday when the lights were brightest. The Texans led 24-14 at halftime.

Then Cleveland's tendency to commit turnovers reared its ugly head when Flacco threw interceptions the Texans returned for touchdowns on back-to-back possessions in the third quarter. The second pick six put Houston ahead 38-14 with 4:06 remaining before the fourth quarter.

If it was indeed Flacco's last game in a Cleveland uniform — and logic suggests that will be the outcome — the ending proved to be disastrous.

For the Browns in 2024, it's time for Deshaun Watson to establish himself as the franchise quarterback

The 2024 season will be Deshaun Watson's time to come back from shoulder surgery and establish himself as the franchise quarterback the Browns (11-7, including 0-1 in the postseason) believe they acquired in a March 2022 trade with the Texans (11-7, 1-0).

All signs point to Browns brass maintaining faith Watson can fulfill the dreams it had when Cleveland agreed to send Houston six draft picks, including three in the first round (2022-24).

There's also the money.

The $230 million guaranteed investment the Browns made in Watson despite more than two dozen women accusing him of sexual misconduct or sexual assault during massage appointments when he was a member of the Texans remains an NFL record nearly two years after the blockbuster deal rocked the league. The salary-cap implications of Watson's historic five-year contract mean the Browns are tied to him through the 2026 season.

In theory, the Browns could trade Watson by agreeing to pay for a substantial chunk of his salary and thereby make him less pricey for another team. In reality, it won't happen because no NFL organization or talent evaluator can be sure Watson's recovery from a broken throwing shoulder will unfold according to plan.

More importantly, the Browns continue to view Watson as their future. He will turn 29 on Sept. 14. Flacco will turn 39 on Tuesday.

Flacco joined the Browns on Nov. 20, eight days after Watson had suffered a season-ending displaced fracture to the glenoid in his right shoulder against the eventual AFC North champion Baltimore Ravens. In the same game, Watson completed all 14 of his second-half passes to lead the Browns to a crucial 33-31 road victory and provide evidence the elite talent he regularly displayed as a three-time Pro Bowl selection with the Texans still existed.

Browns quarterback Joe Flacco thrived in the regular season, but warning signs were there

Flacco went 4-1 as a Browns starter in the regular season, completing 60.3% of his passes for 1,616 yards and 13 touchdowns with eight interceptions and a rating of 90.2. Instead of Watson's injury derailing the season, the Browns thrived with Flacco en route to securing the AFC's fifth playoff seed, the first of the conference's three wild-card spots.

Yet, there were glaring warnings a quick postseason exit could materialize because the Browns finished the regular season with a league-high 37 giveaways, including 35 in the first 16 games before many starters sat out a meaningless Week 18 game in Cincinnati.

A defense capable of imposing its will more often than not repeatedly bailed out the Browns in the regular season, but they were playing with fire. The team was finally burned in the first round of the playoffs, and scars from its third trip to the postseason during the expansion era won't fade anytime soon.

The Browns lost the turnover battle 2-0 against the AFC South champion and fourth-seeded Texans. The Texans had the fewest giveaways in the regular season with 14 and produced a turnover-free outing Saturday.

Texans cornerback Steven Nelson returned Flacco's first interception 82 yards for a touchdown with 6:05 left in the third quarter. After the game, Flacco said he tried to throw the ball away as defensive end Derek Barnett hit him during the play.

On the next series, Texans linebacker Christian Harris cut in front of Browns tight end Harrison Bryant on fourth-and-2 at the Cleveland 33-yard line, intercepted Flacco's pass and returned it 36 yards for a touchdown with 4:06 remaining in the third quarter.

Houston's rout was on.

Flacco went 34-of-46 passing for 307 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions for a rating of 80.6. He rushed three times for 13 yards and took four sacks.

By comparison, Texans rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud finished 16-of-21 passing for 274 yards and three touchdowns with zero interceptions for a rating of 157.2. He was not sacked.

Stroud was in concussion protocol and didn't play on Christmas Eve when the visiting Browns defeated the Texans 36-22.

The return of Texans starting edge rushers Jonathan Greenard (12.5 sacks in the regular season) and rookie Will Anderson Jr. (seven sacks) also made the rematch different. Greenard left the Dec. 24 game in the first quarter with an ankle injury. Meanwhile, Anderson was inactive with an ankle injury. Anderson registered a sack on the Browns' last snap of the first half a split second after Greenard applied pressure.

Of course, the Watson trade still hangs over the Browns and Texans.

The Texans drafted Stroud second overall out of Ohio State last year with their own pick, the result of a 3-13-1 record in the 2022 season. But they used the 12th overall choice acquired from the Browns as part of the Watson deal in a trade up to No. 3 overall, where they selected Anderson. He has helped the Texans reverse their fortunes in a year and advance to the divisional round.

The Texans drafted Harris, who had the second pick six against Flacco and later added a sack, in the third round (75th overall) in 2022. The Texans had acquired the selection after trades with the Denver Broncos and Philadelphia Eagles involving the haul of picks Houston got for Watson.

The Browns, their fans and Cleveland media should not forget the four-game winning streak Flacco spearheaded in December when the team could have easily folded.

Yes, the former Super Bowl-winning quarterback with the Ravens who went 18-3 against the Browns as a starter with Baltimore and in one game last season with the New York Jets will also be remembered for the collapse against the Texans.

But what Flacco did for the Browns in the regular season after they interrupted his household duties as a father of five by becoming the only NFL team to sign him in 2023 has a unique, impressive place in Cleveland sports history.

In an ideal scenario for the Browns, they would re-sign Flacco in the offseason as insurance to back up Watson if the health of his surgically repaired shoulder were restored. Watson could learn from Flacco's gifts for galvanizing a locker room and operating the play-action concepts of coach Kevin Stefanski's offense, among other things. Let's hope Watson took mental notes, though, because Flacco will almost certainly be gone.

In Flacco's postgame news conference, he was asked whether he would want to return to the Browns if given a chance.

"Listen, I love it here, and we're dealing with so much right now, just going through the emotions of this game and being so excited to be in this position and now to come up empty," he said. "So I think that's where my head is — is just kind of trying to soak it all in and let this digest a little bit."

Flacco is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at 4 p.m. March 13. He'll likely receive a shot to start somewhere other than Cleveland. It would be unrealistic to think he wouldn't accept such an opportunity.

Your move, Deshaun Watson.

Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Deshaun Watson must become Browns' franchise QB after playoff loss