Baker Mayfield and His Performance: Dissatisfaction Looms in the Panthers
The
Carolina Panthers have recently signed former Cleveland Brown ace quarterback
Baker Mayfield. It was great and colossal news then, but this statement might
be questionable for some fans. With the Panthers entering week 3 of the series,
they are up 0-2 against the New Orleans Saints. Here are a few insights.
Not Good Enough
The Baker Mayfield era is off to a rough start late because of the 0-2 standing they got with the New Orleans Saints. The supposed hope for the team recently got 0-2 in his start, only completing 53.6% of his passes for 380 yards, two touchdowns, and a passer rating of about 79.5.
In
short, Baker Mayfield started very averagely, which is, as everybody knows, not
good enough for a team to win the NFL. Back on Wednesday, Mayfield stated,
"Not good enough."
He then
added, "I've got to command this group better. I have to lead better; I
have to ensure that everybody's on the same page to where we are executing at a
much higher level.”
Stat Review
While that's fair for the quarterback, statistically speaking, it's because he is in his career's worst right now in several major categories. Currently, his total quarterback rating is 23.7, which is the 32nd in the league, which is by far the worst after only two games. Not only that, if you remember, back in 2019, he opened the season having a 43 rating, while the other seasons had him at 61.5 or higher.
And
recently, he had 71.1, which placed him 10th in the league in 2020, which is
light years away from his current 23.7. Not only that, but his completion
percentage, which is 53.6, is currently only 34th in the league. However, note
that he is far below his average of 61.4. Also, his passing yards per game is
190, which is 26th in the league, and his yards per attempt, 6.8, is only 19th
in the league.
Is the Bad Start His Fault?
Well, according to experts, not entirely. The inefficiency of the team's offense is not entirely Baker Mayfield's fault, but how? He had four dropped passes back on Sunday, and in multiple instances, the receivers didn't run their routes correctly.
Mayfield could do better, but as mentioned earlier, it's not entirely his fault. Instead, this is because some fans have also turned on the heat for other people.
Rhule said, "Guys are supposed to run 20-yard overs that are 14,15 yards." Furthermore, he added, "We're making diving catches for 12 yards for the touchdown. Once that spacing gets right, everyone is where they're supposed to be; we'll see Baker flourish."
Also, not to mention that a factor in all of this is that Mayfield has been an offensive coordinator in Ben McAdoo's system for only a short time, which didn't give him enough experience to adjust properly.
Mayfield
also stated that to adjust to a new system, it takes live games for one to be
properly adjusted. Even if that's the case, Mayfield is positive that although
it's a rough start for him and the team, they will surely come in better for
the next games. He further said that the first two weeks are a good test for
the team's capability, adding more to their positive outlook on the rest of the
season.
So What's Next?
The issue that led the Browns to seek a new quarterback has been passed down to the Panthers, where Mayfield continued his streak of having a sub -100 passer rating. It's the longest in his career and is currently tied to the second-longest active streak in the NFL.
Mayfield needs to be better, and many people will agree with that notion. But that could be easier said than done since the upcoming game with New Orleans, a team that hasn't allowed an opposing quarterback to post a 100-plus passer rating in any of their last eight games. In short, Baker Mayfield has all the odds against him.
That
should also say a lot for most bettors out there. If you’re thinking of putting
NFL bets on their next game, then
you should already know what to do. On the bright side, Mayfield has reasons to
be optimistic. "We've shown our potential in little stints," he said.
Mayfield states that they have shown potential for great plays in their past
games. The team and he just needs to be consistent.
Final Words
Even though the Panthers had such a rough start this season, much criticism has fallen on the team, and Mayfield took the brunt of it. However, he is reassuring his fans that they will return better in their next games, and they currently have a more positive outlook on the rest of the season.