A rebound from a rough first half was not enough for Baker Mayfield to get the win for the Carolina Panthers over the Cleveland Browns.
One of the biggest storylines entering Week 1 of the 2022 season was Baker Mayfield making his first start for the Carolina Panthers against his former team, the Cleveland Browns. The first half was not a great one for Mayfield, but he helped bring Carolina back into it in the second half. However, it was the Browns who were victorious, picking up a 26-24 win on a game-winning field goal by Cade York.
After the game, Mayfield downplayed losing to Cleveland, who traded him away months after replacing him with the now-suspended Deshaun Watson. Mayfield stressed that there are still 16 more games to play in the season.
“Everybody made this out to be the Super Bowl,” said Mayfield, h/t NFL.com. “There’s 16 more games. The Super Bowl is not until February. It’s the beginning of September. We’re going to flush this, we’re going to learn, we’re going to be better.
Baker Mayfield downplays loss to Browns
It is an important point that was stressed by Mayfield. There is still a lot of season to go.
The first half was far from ideal for the former 2018 first-overall pick, as he threw one interception and fumbled the ball twice (zero lost). But once the second half arrived, Mayfield stepped up.
In the fourth quarter, Mayfield orchestrated an 11-play drive that ended with him running into the end zone for a seven-yard touchdown, cutting their deficit to 20-14. Then on the following drive, Mayfield connected with wide receiver Robbie Anderson for a huge 75-yard touchdown.
On the day, Mayfield completed 16-of-27 pass attempts for 235 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Mayfield was also sacked four times for a loss of 28 yards.
Mayfield and the Panthers will look to get their first win next week against the New York Giants, who defeated the Tennessee Titans 21-20 in head coach Brian Daboll’s first game.
