Baker Mayfield made his Carolina debut this Saturday against the Washington Commanders. Mayfield got the start over Sam Darnold against the Commanders, but saw limited action in the teams 23-21 victory. While Mayfield got the start he only played on one drive with Darnold playing in two.
In his debut, Mayfield made the most out his limited opportunity. On his lone drive Mayfield went 4/7 with 45 passing yards. On the drive, Robby Anderson dropped a pass in the endzone and Mayfield bobbled a snap on second down. But something Panther fans should keep there eye on is Mayfield’s early chemistry with second year receiver Shi Smith. On that drive Mayfield found Smith twice for 34 yards.
Even with it being pre-season, it was great to finally see Mayfield in live action for Carolina. He looked poised and confident while commanding the offense in just a short amount of time. Its still to early to tell if Mayfield will become the week one starter against the Cleveland Browns, as Darnold made some noise going 2/3 with 16 yards and a touchdown to free agent signing Rashard Higgins.
Next week is an important game for both Mayfield and Darnold. As stated by head coach Matt Rhule, the starter for week one versus the Cleveland Browns will be probably be named after the teams second preseason game versus the New England Patriots.
Overall it was a solid debut for Mayfield. There are definitely things that need to be worked on but that will happen with more reps under his belt.
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