3 major storylines following the Carolina Panthers into Week 13 at Bucs

Baker Mayfield's revenge game, I guess

I suppose you can call this the Baker Mayfield revenge game, technically.

The Carolina Panthers acquired the 2018 No. 1 overall pick last July for a conditional 2024 draft pick. For Mayfield, it felt like a much-needed change of scenery from the Cleveland Browns after that relationship soured. The move also signaled that his new employers were still chasing the elusive solution under center.

Mayfield didn’t turn out to be that solution, unfortunately.

The quarterback only played in seven games before being waived and subsequently picked up by the Los Angeles Rams. In those contests, the Panthers accumulated a 1-6 record.

The first game of the season was against his former team. So the revenge arc isn’t one that Mayfield is unfamiliar with.

Unlike this game on Sunday, there were a lot of theatrics and conversations regarding that opportunity to prove his old team wrong. The result was a loss, despite the internal fire burning from the jump.

It was probably his best individual performance of his tenure with the Panthers, for what that’s worth – throwing for 235 yards at a 59.3 percent completion rate, coupled with one touchdown and one interception. Mayfield also had four passes batted down at the line of scrimmage.

I don’t think there should be any feelings of animosity from either side, personally. But I’ll be interested to see if Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers make a concerted effort to get him going early and put together a standout performance in this one.