4 major observations from Baker Mayfield’s performance vs. Cardinals

Time is running out for Baker Mayfield

Fans are impatient when it comes to success for their team. In the Carolina Panthers’ case, we could be reaching a tipping point based on the sparse crowd in Week 4 and the hostility directed at those on the field after another disappointing performance.

This is far from what people had in mind when the Panthers traded for Baker Mayfield. Confidence is rapidly running out where the signal-caller is concerned and it’s going to take a monumental turnaround from the precarious position Carolina now finds itself.

It’s just not good enough. But the one solace Mayfield has is that Sam Darnold is reportedly some time away from being activated after suffering a high ankle sprain during the preseason.

Whether the Panthers would throw Darnold back into the mix at the expense of Mayfield is anyone’s guess. It represents an act of pure desperation considering how poorly the USC product performed following his own high-profile switch in 2021.

Carolina has a brutal three-week stretch of fixtures to tackle and not much optimism anything will progress in a positive fashion. Mayfield has overcome adversity before, but this is the toughest test of his professional career to date and time is officially running out.

That might sound strange just four games into the season. However, fans have experienced almost no positive momentum since Matt Rhule took charge and it looks like Mayfield is rapidly becoming the latest in a long line of failed personnel moves by an organization that simply cannot get things right under center.