Mayfield, Browns hang 26-20 loss on Panthers, sub-.500 record looms large

Mayfield got the job done.

While the Carolina Panthers looked good in driving 65 yards in ten plays to start the game in Cleveland, and shortly afterwards added a second touchdown off a Luke Kuechly forced fumble at the Browns 12, they immediately gave up major aerial bombs– including a 66-yard Mayfield completion to Bredshad Perriman on Cleveland’s first play– while dropping their fifth game in a row. Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield was a surgical 18/22 for 238 yards and a touchdown, the Panthers scored only three points after halftime, and nearly erased any playoff aspirations while dropping to 6-7 on the year .

With the fact of facing division-leading (11-2) New Orleans Drew Brees twice in the next three games, the Panthers now have an up-close view of a sub-.500 season that will continue the team’s stretch of 24 seasons without two consecutive winning years. The loss, at the end of a week where two defensive assistant coaches were fired, might also have pushed owner David Tepper a couple steps closer to bringing a new coaching staff to Charlotte.

HOUSTON, TX – DECEMBER 02: Baker Mayfield #6 of the Cleveland Browns throws a pass in the fourth quarter against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on December 2, 2018 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /

Good, Bad, Lot of Ugly

It will be difficult for anyone to take major solace from the loss, although there were positives along the way: Tight end Ian Thomas did a decent job of imitating the sidelined Greg Olsen by catching nine passes for 77 yards, the productive Christian McCaffrey had a 16/63 yards, two touchdown day rushing, plus six catches for 38 yards, and wide receiver D.J. Moore posted a five catch-67 yard day that included a dazzling 40 yarder where he broke four tackles. Curtis Samuel had a fine day- four catches for 80 yards, as Cam Newton went 26/42 for 265 yards and one INT, but once again it was several high and wide throws deep in the red zone that cost the Panthers the most. Panther faithful will definitely question those incompletions from the 3-yard line the most, although Devin Funchess sleep-jogging a route where Newton tried to hit him as the ‘hot’ receiver with a pass he never saw will also be aggravating.

For a team that seemed an unsteady 6-2, the crash to 6-7 and almost certainly out of the playoffs despite the math, what comes next is not going to be pretty. This looked like a team that would build on last years 11-5 record after significant offensive additions, but the defense– penciled in for 50-plus sacks and a top ten rating, has been more than disappointing. They sacked Mayfield for the first time in 3.5 games, but were guilty of bad tackling and truly dumb penalties throughout the season. That they were going to attempt a 53-yard field goal at one point but took a delay of game penalty that caused a punt instead was just another simple wrong.

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Beyond the statistics that The Weapon Called McCaffrey has put up– 179 rushes for 926 yards and 7 TDs, plus 86 receptions for 701 yards and another six scores– and Newton’s season of relative success, with a completion average ten points higher than his career average, look for a quantity of changes in the soon to arrive off-season. There figures to be considerable turnover based on age alone (Peppers, Adams, Davis, Kalil), there’s a very real expectation that the estimable Olsen will take three broken foot injuries in the last year as a sign to leave, and Devin Funchess doesn’t look like a fit as a big receiver any more, not with any expectation of a big contract anyway.

OUTLOOK through end of season

Right now the offense sits at 24.9 ppg and the defense is giving up 25.5 ppg, which is as clear a picture of why they’re 6-7 as any other indicator. That ties them with the NY Giants and barely ahead of the Jets (25.4) and behind even Detroit (24.5). Whether first year Defensive Coordinator Eric Washington survives is certainly a question mark, and there would be a quantity of money on similar negatives regarding Head Coach Ron Rivera, the prevailing theory being that owner David Tepper will bring his own man in in 2019.

Of concern will be the idea that Newton’s throwing shoulder is once again ailing, a point made clear by having Taylor Heinicke coming in several times to throw end of game or half bombs that should have been the domain of the strong-armed Newton. After a season that was strong on percentage and average the rest of the way, there’s still a feeling Carolina can’t move away from the Newton shadow, and the notion he might be traded, while worth exploring, seems like a dream only the haters would appreciate.

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