Will The Panthers Replace Baker Mayfield With A Loss In Week 3?

Everyone knows Carolina Panthers’ head coach Matt Rhule is in the hot seat.

However, that seat gets hotter with each loss the team posts this season.

While Rhule and the Panthers got Baker Mayfield to help them win games, it hasn’t happened.

The team is 0-2, and off to a poor start after some thought Mayfield could help save the Panthers.

With the Panthers facing the New Orleans Saints in week three, could Mayfield be out with another loss?

Panthers Are Stuck With Mayfield Until October

If the Panthers want a change at QB, they will have to wait until October.

Backup QB Sam Darnold, who will probably replace Mayfield, is out until October.

The #Panthers have placed QB Sam Darnold, out 4-6 weeks with a high-ankle sprain, on Injured Reserve. That gives him a chance to return.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 1, 2022

With Ian Rapoport reporting 4-6 weeks during the beginning of September, it puts his return date, at the latest, on October 13th.

However, if Darnold is healthy sooner, he could play in week four against the Arizona Cardinals.

That date is October 2nd, which falls in line with a four-week return table.

So there’s a chance Mayfield might see the bench after this game if he loses and Darnold is healthy to play.

But is a switch what the Panthers need so early in the season?

While Mayfield Is Part Of The Problem, Coaching Isn’t Helping

The Panthers’ QB is only partially to blame for the woes in Carolina.

However, one common factor in the current losing streak with the Panthers is their head coach.

When things go bad, he never takes the blame.

Matt Rhule: “We are talking about playing with a quarterback who has been here 30 to 40 days”

— Ellis L. Williams (@BookofEllis) September 12, 2022

With Baker not having the greatest start this season, it was Rhule who put the blame on his lack of time with the team.

While the lack of time is true, the coaching staff prevented Mayfield from getting more reps during preseason games.

This is why is was stupid for them to drag on the QB completion and deny Baker reps with the 1st team offense for those 30-40 days. He should have gotten all the reps.

— David Giglio (@DavidGiglioCA) September 12, 2022

Without the added time with his first team offense, he doesn’t have everything down to perfection currently.

However, another former Panthers QB is accustomed to being thrown into the fire in Carolina.

Is Baker’s Time With Carolina The Same As Cam Newton’s Return To Carolina In 2021?

With Rhule covering for his QB with a comment like he did, it opens a can of worms with a previous Carolina QB.

Cam Newton came back with the Panthers in 2021 and revealed his issues with his return this year.

In his revelations, Newton described having little time to learn the offensive plays.

However, no slack was given to the veteran QB over this.

But now the Panthers’ head coach wants his new QB to get a pass with the same excuse.

To allow this isn’t fair to Newton, who some thought could return to Carolina with their QB injuries this season.

While there’s a double standard in Carolina, it can lead Mayfield down a path which Newton has already been on.

If the Panthers current QB really has a lack of knowledge with his playbook and team chemistry, there’s no hope for him.

Without an improvement on these two fronts, he will continue to lose games.

It’s the same path Newton has traveled and a path his defenders have talked about before.