Is Baker Mayfield the answer at QB for Carolina?
Baker Mayfield made his debut for the Carolina Panthers in Week 1 — but it wasn't the one he had hoped for.
Going up against the team that traded him, the Cleveland Browns, a late comeback to take the lead was not enough for Carolina, as the Panthers fell short on Sunday after rookie kicker Cade York hit a go-ahead 58-yard field goal with eight seconds remaining to ultimately secure a 26-24 Browns victory.
Mayfield had a rollercoaster debut for Carolina, but Skip Bayless, co-host of "Undisputed," was sold on Mayfield's fourth-quarter play to get them back in the game.
"My biggest takeaway [Sunday] was that Baker looked exactly like Baker," Bayless said. "He looked exactly like the guy who can pull off spectacular comeback after comeback after comeback. As Christian McCaffrey said after the game, 'He's exactly who we thought he was: he is a fighter.' As one of the offensive lineman said, ‘He is the ultimate warrior.’
"In the fourth quarter, Baker Mayfield went 5-of-6 for 133 yards. That's even beyond what [Tom Brady] used to do to the Legion of Boom — 124 in the fourth — or to Sacksonville in the AFC Championship Game. This is 133 in the fourth quarter to take the lead. It wasn't garbage time. It wasn't empty calories. These were as wholesome calories as you could ever swallow."
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Baker Mayfield came up short in his Carolina Panthers debut against his former team. Skip Bayless breaks down why he still believes in Mayfield despite the loss.
Mayfield finished the game with 235 passing yards, one passing touchdown and one interception, completing 16 of 27 throws. He also ran in a 7-yard touchdown.
Mayfield was Cleveland's primary quarterback from 2018-21. Across that span, he averaged 3,531.3 passing yards, 23 passing touchdowns, 14 interceptions and an 87.8 quarterback rating, completing 61.6% of his throws per season.
The Browns acquired Deshaun Watson — who is suspended for the first 11 games of the 2022 NFL season — from the Houston Texans and signed Jacoby Brissett, who was under center against Carolina on Sunday.
Not shockingly, Shannon Sharpe was on the other side of the coin, saying that Mayfield was "terrible" in Week 1.
Carolina's quarterback room is down two figures. Sam Darnold, the team's primary starter in 2021, is on injured reserve with a high-ankle sprain, while rookie Matt Corral suffered a season-ending foot injury in the preseason.
"I told you they have an adult at quarterback in Carolina now," Bayless said of Mayfield.
Carolina travels to take on the New York Giants (1-0) on Sunday.