The Carolina Panthers can surge into the NFC South lead with a victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football. But another intriguing, albeit unfortunate, development could also tip the scales in their favor.
It seems the division is a two-horse race between the Panthers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The two clubs have to play each other twice before their respective fates are decided, but head coach Dave Canales' squad is in much better form right now. It'll go down to the wire, and the NFC South championship will be decided by razor-thin margins.
That's why the status of quarterback Baker Mayfield is so significant moving forward. The former Panthers quarterback suffered a shoulder injury during Tampa Bay's blowout loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday Night Football. He didn't come back into the game and was even spotted wearing a sling on the sidelines.
Carolina Panthers' fortunes instantly improve if Baker Mayfield misses time
Another ex-Carolina quarterback, Teddy Bridgewater, stepped into the breach. It was a difficult situation against a formidable defense, and the results went as expected. Head coach Todd Bowles indicated that Mayfield would probably be out next weekend, but he has complete faith in his understudy, who has a whole week of practice to prepare.
"He [Baker Mayfield] hurt it earlier [in the game], said he was fine, he went back and then reaggravated it on the last play [of the first half]. Very confident in what Teddy [Bridgewater] can do. With a full week of practice, taking every snap, every play, we think he'll be fine."Todd Bowles via ESPN
Nobody wishes an injury to any player. Mayfield was failed by the Panthers after arriving via trade from the Cleveland Browns in one last failed attempt by Matt Rhule to save his job. He's made Carolina pay for it ever since, tightening Tampa Bay's grip on the division in recent years. But now, his shoulder complication has the scope to cause a seismic pendulum shift.
The Panthers will be focusing on what they can control. Canales is taking things one challenge at a time, and the players won't be looking too far ahead after what happened against the New Orleans Saints. It's also worth remembering that Carolina has the league's third-toughest remaining schedule, so the situation remains precarious and could go either way.
But if Mayfield is forced to miss extended time, the landscape changes considerably. He's the driving force that makes everything tick for the Buccaneers, so not having their inspirational leader is a massive blow. That's without counting the other injuries Tampa Bay is currently dealing with heading into the business end of the campaign.
While it's not ideal, it would greatly benefit the Panthers. And this is a cutthroat business when it's all said and done.