Carolina Panthers starting quarterback Baker Mayfield may be losing the “starting” part of that title . . . again.
In his first start since Week 5, when he sustained a high-ankle sprain in a painful loss to the San Francisco 49ers, the former No. 1 overall pick came up flat. Mayfield completed 21 of his 33 throws against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday—mustering up all of 196 yards, zero touchdowns and two interceptions in a 13-3 defeat.
He obviously did himself no favors in trying to successfully retain his spot atop the depth chart, as the offense proved ineffective and lethargic in yet another outing behind him. What also doesn’t help Mayfield’s case is the team’s stance on a returning Sam Darnold, who was seemingly assured playing time by interim head coach Steve Wilks early last week.
So when asked by Vashti Hurt of Carolina Blitz about the continuous speculation on his job status, Mayfield was as straight up as he usually is.
“It sucks, to be honest with you,” he said. “We prepared. Felt like—like I said—game plan, felt like everything was ready and there for us. We just, we didn’t execute. And it’s tough. I’ll be honest with you. I put my heart and soul in this. And this, this sucks. I just hope everybody feels the same way, to be honest with you. That’s how you get things turned around. You have to care about it. You do.”
Over his six starts in 2022, Mayfield has amassed 1,158 yards, four touchdowns and six interceptions. The Panthers have gone 1-5 in those games.
