Mayfield 'not good enough' in Panthers' 8th loss

BALTIMORE -- Carolina Panthers backmost Baker Mayfield admitted Sunday "it sucks" to beryllium questioned astir whether helium should stay the starter aft his show successful a 13-3 nonaccomplishment to the Baltimore Ravens astatine M&T Bank Stadium.

"It's tough," the archetypal prime of the 2018 draught said matter-of-factly aft his archetypal commencement since Week 5. "I'll beryllium honorable with you. I enactment my bosom and psyche successful this, and this sucks. I conscionable anticipation everybody other feels the aforesaid way, to beryllium honorable with you. That's however you crook things around. You person to attraction astir it. You do."

Mayfield's grounds arsenic Carolina's starter is present 1-5. With the Panthers 3-8 and nearing elimination from playoff contention, there's a accidental interim manager Steve Wilks volition crook to Sam Darnold, the 3rd prime of the 2018 draft, for adjacent week's crippled against the Denver Broncos.

Wilks has said for respective weeks helium wants to get a look astatine Darnold, who began the play connected injured reserve due to the fact that of a precocious ankle sprain aft losing the unfastened contention successful grooming campy for the starting occupation to Mayfield. Wilks did not perpetrate to who would commencement adjacent week.

Wilks besides could instrumentality to P.J. Walker, who was 2-3 arsenic the starter earlier suffering a precocious ankle sprain past week to unfastened the doorway for Mayfield to commencement again.

"It's excessively aboriginal to say," Wilks said. "We've got to measure the tape, and past from there, I'll marque a decision."

The portion volition amusement Mayfield led Carolina to lone 3 points and threw interceptions connected Carolina's past 2 possessions with the Ravens (7-3) starring 13-3. It volition amusement the archetypal 1 was the effect of a batted shot that has been an contented for Mayfield each play and the 2nd appeared to beryllium a effect of wide receiver Shi Smith moving a lazy route.

Mayfield finished 21-of-33 passing for 196 yards with nary touchdowns for a Total Quarterback Rating of 20.2, somewhat amended than the league-low 15.3 helium had implicit the archetypal 5 games.

"Not bully enough," Mayfield said erstwhile asked to measure his performance. "We didn't triumph the game. I accidental instrumentality attraction of the ball, but we person to marque much plays. Batted balls, erstwhile they're not getting the rush. ... Shi and I person to beryllium connected the aforesaid page.

"He's looking astatine [cornerback] Marlon Humphrey retired determination successful the flat, and I'm expecting him to spell successful the flat. [Humphrey's] playing smart, and I'm expecting him to tally his route. Let's conscionable get connected the aforesaid page. It outgo us."

Mayfield played mistake-free done 3 quarters, and Carolina trailed lone 6-3 with 8:14 remaining. That's erstwhile the Ravens stripped Smith of the shot aft a drawback and 2 plays aboriginal scored connected a 1-yard touchdown tally by backmost Lamar Jackson.

Jackson, the past prime successful the archetypal circular of the 2018 draft, is present 6-3 against Mayfield.

But adjacent past the discourtesy was mostly stagnant. Carolina had lone 63 yards successful the archetypal fractional and finished with lone 205. The moving crippled that averaged 159.5 yards implicit the past 4 games, including a season-high 232 yards successful the past crippled against the Atlanta Falcons, was constricted to 36 yards.

"It's pugnacious erstwhile you can't get the tally crippled going," Mayfield said. "We conscionable person to marque much plays. It's conscionable 1 of those days. It was a agelong time for america connected offense. We've got to marque the plays erstwhile they're there, due to the fact that a squad similar that there's not going to beryllium many."

Mayfield said the crippled program coming successful was "great, but the execution, that's different story."

As for wherefore the Panthers person been incapable to triumph aft being successful truthful galore adjacent games, Mayfield recalled what it was similar erstwhile helium joined the Cleveland Browns successful 2018 aft they'd gone 1-31 their 2 erstwhile seasons.

"It's genuinely a mindset erstwhile you're trying to get implicit the hump and crook things around," helium said. "You tin look astatine your grounds close now, and evidently our grounds close present is not great, but look astatine however we're losing. You person to look astatine those things. It's a cliche happening [Bill] Parcells said, 'You've got to larn however to halt beating yourself earlier you larn however to win.'

"And I deliberation close now, today, was a beauteous bully illustration of that."