All-22: The Ups and Downs of Baker Mayfield
The Carolina Panthers got the full Baker Mayfield experience in the former No. 1 overall pick’s first start for the franchise against the team that drafted him in 2018.
In his Panthers debut, Mayfield went 16-of-27 for 235 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and one rushing score. To sum it up, it was a typical Baker Mayfield game - nothing that will blow you out of the water, per se, an interception that made fans put their hands on their heads, and a comeback that fell just short.
To dig a little deeper, we’ll take a look at some of Mayfield’s highs and lows from Week 1, and discuss where this can take the Panthers through the rest of 2022.
The first play we’ll look at is a 2nd and 7. More 12 personnel. At the point of release, you’ll see Mayfield has time. The ensuing pass to Robbie Anderson was into tight coverage and was overthrown to set up a third and long. If you look at when he released the ball, D.J. Moore is coming across the field, and is open. There is a linebacker playing somewhat shallow to the line of scrimmage, but given the time Mayfield still had, he could have looked off that defender just enough before targeting Moore over the middle and getting a fresh set of downs.
This pass by Mayfield was fine. A simple out route ran by Robbie Anderson, and Mayfield hits him in the chest to set up a 2nd and short. Nothing breathtaking, but that’s all it needed to be.
The interception is just inexcusable. There was nothing really there, the ball was overthrown, and the Browns were set up in great field position. This has been an issue with Mayfield for the majority of his career.
Another play here in 12 personnel, and it was a great play by Mayfield. Facing pressure, he stood in the pocket, took the hit as he hit D.J. Moore in stride for a 16-yard gain and fresh set of downs. When Mayfield is on, he can make these types of throws and be a good quarterback. He needs to become more consistent.
This 50-yard pass to Ian Thomas is an example of good, quick decision-making by Mayfield. An apparent miscommunication between the Browns let Thomas get past the first wave of underneath defenders without any safety help on that side of the ball. Mayfield makes a perfect throw down the seams.
Baker Mayfield is who he is- a middle-of-the-pack quarterback whose mouth and demeanor make him more polarizing than any other quarterback of his skillset.
