What major flaws must Carolina Panthers quarterback Baker Mayfield rectify to get out of his current slump and turn the 2022 season around?
It’s not been the start Baker Mayfield or the Carolina Panthers envisaged to begin their 2022 campaign. The quarterback’s inconsistent performances following his trade from the Cleveland Browns came to the fore once again during a disappointing loss at the New York Giants, which puts Matt Rhule’s men on a nine-game losing streak and 0-2 from two winnable contests.
Mayfield was always going to need a little time. Arriving at the Panthers so late and splitting reps with Sam Darnold in training camp were significant challenges to overcome, but this is a luxury the Panthers don’t have with immediate pressure to show improvements.
The former Oklahoma standout stated there is plenty of football left. But even though the message coming out of Carolina was how close this team is, their brutal stretch over the next five weeks means that things have to start coming together, and quickly.
With that being said, here are four major flaws Mayfield must rectify at the earliest possible opportunity.
Major Flaw No. 1
Baker Mayfield must trust Carolina Panthers OL
For all the faults on offense for the Carolina Panthers in Week 2, protection in front of Baker Mayfield was the least of their problems. It was another productive afternoon for the offensive line aside from a couple of errors, which was another step in the right direction within a unit that got a much-needed makeover this spring.
Mayfield must start trusting his line more. There were times when the quarterback created pressure by hanging onto the football too long and failing to maneuver effectively, which did the Heisman Trophy winner no favors whatsoever.
This comes with familiarity. But the margin for error has now gone from slim to non-existent.
Timing with Carolina Panthers WRs
Another glaring flaw that’s costing Baker Mayfield is timing. The quarterback seems to be finding life difficult to generate momentum consistently with his primary pass-catchers, which has seen the likes of D.J. Moore, Christian McCaffrey, and Robbie Anderson drop in and out of the opening two contests.
Again, this might be down to the fact Mayfield was forced into a quarterback competition with Sam Darnold this offseason despite being the obvious choice. Just another stain on the coaching strategy of Matt Rhule, who seems to be under more pressure than ever after a disappointing start to the campaign.
Hopefully, this comes with time together and not much else. But the chemistry appears to be way off on occasions and in some cases, the wideouts are not reading where Mayfield wants the football to go correctly.
Despite the presence of McCaffrey, the offense appears stagnant. The balance schematically was better at the Giants, but a failure to convert third downs coupled with a lack of conviction in the red zone means there is much work ahead for this group and Mayfield, in particular.
Things don’t get any easier this weekend against the New Orleans Saints, who locked down the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense until gifted defensive back Marshon Lattimore was ejected for an altercation with wide receiver Mike Evans.
Baker Mayfield’s batted passes cost the Carolina Panthers
Tipped passes have been a problem for Baker Mayfield throughout his career. Listed at 6-foot-1, he leads the league in this category since he was taken No. 1 overall in 2018 and things don’t seem to be improving in a different environment.
The Carolina Panthers cannot afford this to continue. Mayfield has five batted balls over the first two games, with opposing defensive fronts knowing full well that they can get their hands up and make things happen even if pressure isn’t generated.
Just how Mayfield and the Panthers can resolve this flaw is anyone’s guess.
Maybe deeper dropbacks might work. But that only pins the Panthers back further and something that would allow secondaries to move forward, pressurizing the wide receivers and tight ends trying to work the middle.
Putting a little more air on the football would also assist. Whether Mayfield’s mechanics would allow him to do this or not is another matter.
There is enough film for defenses to scheme this to their advantage right now. Something that only complicates matters for Ben McAdoo and Mayfield in the long run.
Getting Mayfield out on the move more is another potential option. But this is a major concern whichever way one looks at it.
Putting a full game together
Flashing briefly is not going to cut it. Baker Mayfield and the Carolina Panthers offense must find a way to put everything together for a full game if they want to get this ship steered in the right direction.
Mayfield showed in the third quarter at the New York Giants and down the stretch in Week 1 what he might accomplish. However, there is far too much inconsistency to state for sure which way this situation is going to go throughout the campaign.
It’s not just Mayfield. Carolina’s offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo has to start moving from a vanilla offense to one with creativity that keeps defenses on their toes and maximizes the obvious talent at his disposal.
People are fighting for their futures. McAdoo and Mayfield included.
However, there appears to be no real urgency for a prolonged period, which is deeply concerning.
Set the tone early, generate momentum, and go from there. It might sound easy, but the Panthers and Mayfield seem incapable of putting everything together from start to finish and it’s holding the organization back.
There’s still time to turn things around. It’s also worth remembering that the Panthers have been undone by two late field goals, albeit against teams they were well capable of beating.
But the same excuses aren’t going to wash for much longer.