Baker Mayfield had a miserable Monday night in Pittsburgh. The Browns quarterback was sacked nine times and took several other shots in Cleveland’s 26-14 loss to the Steelers in the Week 17 finale.

Already dealing with a torn labrum in his left shoulder, Mayfield looked and sounded like a man ready for the season to be over after the game.

“I’m an extremely competitive guy,” Mayfield said in his press conference. “Now it’s time for me to start looking at what’s in the best interest of me and my health.”

There is still one game left on the Browns schedule, a Week 18 date Sunday with the Bengals. Cleveland was already eliminated from postseason contention even before losing in Pittsburgh. Mayfield could sit that game out and get the ball rolling on his long-needed surgery to repair his left shoulder. He’s also suffering through a knee injury and a separate broken bone in his shoulder.

“I’ve continued to lay it out on the line when I haven’t been healthy and tried to fight for our guys,” Mayfield said. “Right now, I’m pretty damn beat up, to be honest with you. There’s no way around it. I gave it everything I had tonight.”

If that was the last of Mayfield for the 2021 season, it will not be a case of going off into the night fondly. Mayfield set a dubious mark of throwing 10 straight incompletions, the only quarterback to do so in the NFL this year. He finished 16-for-38 for 185 yards, throwing two second-half touchdowns but also two interceptions, and had five passes swatted down at the line.

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