Panthers QB Report Card: Baker Mayfield’s pick-six kills momentum in loss to 49ers
The Carolina Panthers’ special teams unit had just blocked a 43-yard field-goal attempt by San Francisco 49ers kicker Robbie Gould. The big play gave the Panthers momentum, and Baker Mayfield and the offense took over possession with 1:43 left in the first half — plenty of time to get some points on the board ahead of halftime.
Unfortunately for the Panthers, their positive vibes only lasted five plays during the 37-15 loss to the 49ers on Sunday at Bank of America Stadium.
With 55 seconds left in the second quarter, Mayfield overshot running back Christian McCaffery on a pass and the ball floated into the hands of 49ers cornerback Emmanuel Moseley, who returned the interception 41 yards for a touchdown. The Panthers went from wiping three points off the board on special teams to giving up seven on offense in a matter of moments.
The interception — Mayfield’s fourth of the season — gave the 49ers a 17-3 lead at halftime. As the Panthers walked off the field, with Mayfield showing a slight limp, the home crowd booed, a familiar sound during the team’s three-game homestead at Bank of America Stadium.
Unfortunately for Mayfield, who was acquired from the Cleveland Browns for a conditional fifth-round pick this summer, the quarterback has been a popular target for jeers, along with head coach Matt Rhule. During Sunday’s loss to the 49ers, the criticism was, again, warranted.
With Mayfield battling through a heavily scrutinized start to his first Panthers season, the Observer tracked and graded the quarterback’s performance throughout the loss to the 49ers.
Overall numbers
Mayfield completed 20 of 36 passes (55.6%) for 215 yards and an interception.
Mayfield led four scoring drives against the 49ers. His top target was McCaffrey, who caught 7 of 12 targets for 50 yards. Fellow wideout D.J. Moore was also heavily targeted, as he caught 4 of 7 passes for 59 yards.
UPDATE (8:55 p.m.): Mayfield walked into Sunday’s postgame press conference with a walking boot on his left leg. Rhule said Mayfield suffered an ankle injury before halftime and was cleared to play ahead of the third quarter. Rhule eventually pulled Mayfield for a meaningless final drive to prevent further damage to the ankle.
Accuracy
It was an up-and-down day for Mayfield from an accuracy standpoint.
While the interception in the second quarter was wildly off the mark, Mayfield did a nice job of putting the ball on his playmakers, for the most part. The 49ers did a nice job of defending passes, especially at cornerback, but Mayfield at least put the ball in the general reach of wideouts and tight ends.
Mayfield’s season-long issue has seemingly been getting the ball out too late, and that happened a handful of times against the 49ers. Still, this was a more accurate outing — despite a lesser completion percentage — than last week’s performance against the Arizona Cardinals.
The 49ers had eight pass breakups against Mayfield and the offense.
Grade: C
Decision-making/explosive plays
After struggling to create big plays against the Cardinals last week, Mayfield produced a few against the 49ers.
In the first quarter, he connected with wideout Robbie Anderson on a 32-yard completion down the sideline. In the third quarter, Mayfield put a ball on the money to Moore on a crossing route for a gain of 18 yards.
Mayfield launched an absolute dime of a rainbow toss to wideout Shi Smith, down the seam, in the third quarter that put the ball in the red zone. The toss and completion gained 31 yards and led to a 37-yard field goal by kicker Eddy Piñeiro. The throw to Smith was probably Mayfield’s best toss of the season through five games.
Mayfield and Moore later connected over the middle on a 27-yard completion. Mayfield put the ball on the money to Moore and then the wideout scooted upfield for additional yardage.
Mayfield has tended to take a lot of time to get rid of the ball, which was a tendency that popped on Sunday as well. Still, Mayfield kept his eyes downfield and didn’t panic when he was swarmed by defenders.
It was a step in the right direction for Mayfield from a decision-making standpoint. That said, he failed to find the end zone as a passer. Despite leading four scoring drives, Mayfield and the offense only scored one touchdown on the day, which was a run by McCaffrey.
Grade: C
Mobility
The 49ers swarmed Mayfield all afternoon, but the quarterback was able to stay up in the pocket on several plays, despite the immediate pressure.
He did a nice job of keeping plays going by moving around the pocket. He wasn’t forced to run as a ball-carrier, but he was nimble enough in the pocket to extend passing plays.
Mayfield was sacked four times by the 49ers, but that total could have easily been doubled had he not evaded the rush in the pocket as well as he did.
Grade: B-
Turnovers
The second-quarter pick-six was a brutal throw for Mayfield.
McCaffrey was open and the ball sailed over the running back’s reach and directly to Moseley, who returned it relatively effortlessly to the end zone. The turnover for a touchdown was a back-breaker before halftime, as the Panthers seemed to finally conjure up some momentum only to literally throw it away over the span of a handful of plays.
Mayfield’s turnovers routinely enter the picture at the absolute worst possible times. Sure, there’s no good time for a turnover, but Mayfield tends to throw interceptions in game-killing possessions.
Grade: D-
Overall grade
This was a mediocre outing for Mayfield, which was highlighted by the glaring pick-six in the second quarter. While he was unable to find the end zone as a passer, he did lead four scoring drives against the 49ers. Still, it was more of the same — albeit with better accuracy and decision-making overall — from the much-maligned starting quarterback.
Mayfield wasn’t horrible, but he also wasn’t a facilitator for success. There’s no clear solution coming at quarterback, either.
Overall: C-
This story was originally published October 9, 2022 at 7:30 PM with the headline "Panthers QB Report Card: Baker Mayfield’s pick-six kills momentum in loss to 49ers."
