Monday Morning Thoughts: Panthers Offense Goes Zero Dark Thirty

Breaking down Carolina's loss to Arizona.

Earlier in the week, Panthers quarterback Baker Mayfield was asked if he had a sense on whether RB Christian McCaffrey (thigh) would play Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals. Instead of giving the ole boring answer of "I don't know," Mayfield got a little creative and said, “He’s gone zero dark thirty on us, ya know? Just keeping us guessing.”

Oddly enough, it was Mayfield who went zero dark thirty on Sunday, keeping fans guessing when he's going to turn the corner and start producing at a much more efficient clip. He finished the day completing 22-of-36 passes for 197 yards and a touchdown while throwing two interceptions. 

One issue that has plagued Mayfield throughout his NFL career has been batted passes at the line of scrimmage. That popped up again on Sunday as the Cardinals got their hands on the ball three times, bumping Mayfield's season total up to nine passes batted down, which just so happens to lead the league.

"We have to look at the tape and see what we need to do," Mayfield said in his postgame press conference. "There’s not a whole lot I can give you right now. Have to look at the tape and see whether they were rushing or not. It’s not like they were really getting home on pass rush. Stopping their feet and they’re putting their hands up. That’s part of when your o-line plays well in the pass game. We have to find a way to get around it."

What's most frustrating about Mayfield's performance through four games is that the Panthers truly felt like he was a clear upgrade over Sam Darnold. Now, they'll never say that publicly but that's the whole reason they went out and made the move for him. They didn't have any faith in Darnold getting the job done and wanted to go out and find someone who they believed could. And to be completely honest, who's to say Darnold wouldn't have better numbers right now? Mayfield currently ranks 27th in yards (747), 31st in completion percentage (54.7%), 32nd in QBR (15.4), and 20th in touchdown passes (4).

For whatever reason, this passing game just has no life to it whatsoever. Just about everyone, including myself, thought that Mayfield would be able to do enough to keep the Panthers competitive and possibly lead them to a Wild Card spot in the playoffs. He wasn't a complete bum in Cleveland like the national media makes him out to be. Interceptions were a problem early on in his career but he still found ways to move the ball and score - something that has yet to translate in Carolina. 

Because of what he has put on display through four games, the Panthers have quarterback controversy once again. Sam Darnold is eligible to come off the injured reserve list this week and it may lead to Carolina considering shaking it up and giving Darnold a shot behind this revamped offensive line. 

Matt Rhule declined to comment on any sort of change at quarterback following Sunday's game.

"I don’t have any thoughts on anything moving forward yet. I can really talk right now about this game. I don’t know anything in terms of anybody health wise so I can’t make any comments on that," said Rhule. "I think for me right now, obviously, we are going to go back. We are going to watch the tape. We are going to try to get these things corrected. Usually, on Mondays, I can give you guys some better answers in terms of exactly what we will try to do moving forward."

For Rhule, this is the one place he didn't want to be - having to make a decision on switching quarterbacks four games in. With a 1-3 record this season and an 11-26 record in two-plus seasons as head coach, the seat is warming for Rhule. He can't afford to wait for Mayfield to figure things out but at the same time, he can't afford to make the switch to Darnold and it be the same result as doing so may trigger owner David Tepper to make a switch of his own and fire Rhule. 

With an improved offensive line and a "healthy" Christian McCaffrey to go along with all the weapons the Panthers have on the perimeter, there is no reason why this offense should be struggling as much as it is. It's on Matt Rhule, Ben McAdoo, and Baker Mayfield to figure it out before it's too late. 

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