It is Baker Mayfield time in Carolina once again.

The Panthers turned back to Mayfield, their opening day starter and a key offseason acquisition, for the second half of Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals. 

That decision by interim head coach Steve Wilks came after a dreadful first half performance from PJ Walker, who completed just three of his first 10 passes for only nine yards (less than one yard per attempt!) and two interceptions.

The Panthers not only trailed 35-0 at halftime, they did not record a single first down in the first half that was not aided by a Bengals penalty. 

Carolina acquired Mayfield from the Cleveland Browns in exchange for a conditional 2024 fifth-round draft pick. He opened the season as Carolina’s starter but poor play and an injury opened the door for Walker to take over. 

Walker played well in his first two starts, throwing three touchdowns to only one interception, but Sunday’s start was so bad and the Panthers were so far out of it that they almost had no choice but to try something new. 

Carolina had an obvious need a quarterback this offseason but decided to punt on the position in the draft, passing on the top quarterback prospects like Kenny Pickett (who went to the Pittsburgh Steelers) and Malik Willis (who went to the Tennessee Titans). Given how this season has completely gone off the rails, and how disappointing the quarterback performances have been, you can be sure it will be at the top of their priority list this offseason.

The good news: This year’s class of quarterbacks looks significantly stronger with C.J. Stroud, Bryce Young and Will Levis all projected as high first round picks. 

It seems like a strong bet that one of them will be a Carolina Panther.