AP

Mayfield throws 2 TD passes as Panthers defeat Bills 21-0

Aug 26, 2022, 7:32 AM | Updated: 8:35 pm

Carolina Panthers quarterback Baker Mayfield celebrates after throwing a touchdown pass against the...

Carolina Panthers quarterback Baker Mayfield celebrates after throwing a touchdown pass against the Buffalo Bills during the first half of an NFL preseason football game on Friday, Aug. 26, 2022, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)

(AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Carolina Panthers coach Matt Rhule is excited about what he’s seen out of Baker Mayfield in the short time that he’s been with the 2018 No. 1 overall pick.

Now he wants to see what Mayfield can do once he really gets comfortable in the offense.

Mayfield completed 9 of 15 passes for 89 yards and two touchdowns and the Carolina Panthers blanked the Buffalo Bills 21-0 on Friday night in the preseason finale for both teams.

“He’s just getting started in this offense,” Rhule said of Mayfield, who was acquired in a trade with Cleveland on July 6. “It’s like, ‘hey, what can I do?’ That’s what excites me that he has a lot of room to grow.”

Mayfield, who was announced as the Panthers’ Week 1 starter earlier in the week, threw a 2-yard TD pass to D’Onta Foreman and a 19-yard scoring strike to wide receiver Shi Smith against Buffalo’s second-team defense.

The Panthers scored on two of four possessions with Mayfield at the helm.

“I’m just getting started within the offense, but I I feel comfortable with the knowledge of it,” Mayfield said. “Now it is just the matter of going out and seeing it and putting into action. It’s about chemistry and being on the same page. Now you just have to go out and do and pull the trigger in a live game.”

The Bills rested all of their starters, including quarterback Josh Allen. The Panthers played most of their starters into the second quarter, although running back Christian McCaffrey sat out.

Case Keenum struggled to move the Buffalo offense, going 8 of 13 for 46 yards with one interception that the Panthers quickly converted into a touchdown.

After going three-and-out on the game’s opening series, Mayfield showed poise in the pocket leading the Panthers on a 12-play, 53-yard touchdown drive. After a play-action fake, he found Foreman in the right flat for an easy touchdown on fourth down.

After Jeremy Chinn intercepted Keenum’s pass that was tipped at the line by Yetur Gross-Matos, Mayfield connected with Smith over the middle for the score. Panthers coach Matt Rhule earlier this week called Smith “one of the true bright spots” of the preseason, adding that he has a chance to win a starting job.

Mayfield didn’t shy away from contact.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 draft delivered a blow with his shoulder to Bills rookie cornerback Kaiir Elam after scrambling out of the pocket.

The Bills also held out punter Matt Araiza one day after the attorney for a California teenager accused the Buffalo Bills rookie and two of his former college teammates of gang rape last fall.

Third-string quarterback Matt Barkley handled punting duties for the Bills, and even had a 53-yarder that pinned the Panthers inside the 10.

Bills coach Sean McDermott said after the game he didn’t feel right playing Araiza.

“It’s a situation that is extremely serious,” McDermott said. “Just hard to go through. It’s not a situation that I or we take lightly whatsoever. It’s very serious. I understand the sensitivity of the situation. It’s clear we have work to do to continue to figure this out. And we’re going to do that.”

When asked if not addressing the situation and letting it fester is a concern, McDermott said, “Absolutely. Yeah. I mean all of it all.

“That’s one piece, but I’m concerned about all of it. And again, people involved on both sides. People are hurt, people are hurting, fans are hurting. I understand that and again, we want to find the truth and figure this thing out the right way and do the right thing. And that’s what I know to do. And that’s what we’re going to work on.”

DARNOLD INJURY

Carolina extended the lead to 21-0 in the third quarter after Sam Darnold ran for a 1-yard touchdown. But a short while later, Darnold left on a cart to the locker room after Bills defensive tackle C.J. Brewer landed on his left ankle, causing it to bend awkwardly.

Rhule said Darnold has a sprained ankle, but doesn’t believe there is a fracture. If it is a high ankle sprain it could keep him out four to six weeks, meaning P.J. Walker could enter the season as the team’s backup quarterback.

The game was delayed 36 minutes because of lightning in the area.

INJURIES

Bills: DT Eli Ankou left the game with a hamstring injury in the first quarter. … WR Tanner Gentry injured his knee/hamstring. … CB Cam Lewis was taken to have X-rays on his nose.

Panthers: Like Darnold, kicker Zane Gonzalez was also carted to the locker room in the third quarter. Gonzalez injured his groin while practicing kicks on the sideline on a wet field. Gonzalez injured himself last December in a game at Buffalo when he suffered a leg injury during pregame warmups and did not play. … DT Derrick Brown injured his oblique and did not return. … FB Gio Ricci also left with a groin injury.

UP NEXT

Bills: Open the regular season on Thursday night Sept. 8 in Los Angeles against the defending Super Bowl champion Rams.

Panthers: Host Mayfield’s former team, the Cleveland Browns, on Sept 11.

___

More AP NFL coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

Associated Press

Ex-Packer Guion gets 1 year for domestic violence assault

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Former Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Letroy Guion was sentenced to one year in jail after pleading no contest in a domestic violence assault at his home last fall. Brown County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Walsh also ordered Guion on Tuesday to serve three years’ probation and complete a domestic […]

1 year ago

Joe Jarzynka...

Associated Press

Durant eager for Suns debut vs. Hornets after knee injury

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Kevin Durant has been through quite a bit during his 15-year NBA career — but joining a new team midway through the season is a new one for the 13-time All-Star. The 34-year-old Durant doesn’t seem all that worried. Durant makes his highly anticipated Phoenix Suns debut on Wednesday night against […]

1 year ago

FILE - Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores stands on the sideline during the second half of an N...

Associated Press

Judge: NFL coach can press discrimination claims in court

NEW YORK (AP) — NFL Coach Brian Flores can pursue some of his discrimination claims against the league and its teams in court rather than through arbitration, a judge ruled Wednesday. The written decision by Judge Valerie Caproni in Manhattan was issued months after lawyers for the league tried to get the lawsuit moved to […]

1 year ago

Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Alex Stalock cools off in the first period during an NHL hockey game ...

Associated Press

Kane trade reinforces hard reality of Blackhawks rebuild

CHICAGO (AP) — After days of speculation, the harsh reality of the Chicago Blackhawks’ situation was reinforced by one move in a flurry of transactions ahead of the NHL trade deadline. Showtime is over, at least in Chicago, and a seemingly bright future is, well, way off in the distance. The reverberations of Chicago’s decision […]

1 year ago

FILE -  Yves Jean-Bart, president of the Haitian Football Federation, wearing a protective face mas...

Associated Press

Disgraced ex-Haitian soccer president announces he’s back

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti’s former soccer federation president whose lifetime ban from sport over sexual abuse allegations was overturned last month announced Wednesday that he is reclaiming his position. Yves Jean-Bart’s defiant announcement could lead to a standoff with FIFA, which already has appointed an emergency management committee to lead the Haitian Football Association […]

1 year ago

FILE - Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers walks off the field after an NFL football game against the ...

Associated Press

Rodgers says decision on future will come ‘soon enough’

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers says he will make a decision on his future “soon enough” as the four-time MVP quarterback ponders whether to play next season and if his future remains with the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers, 39, discussed his future while speaking on an episode of the “Aubrey Marcus Podcast” that […]

1 year ago

Mayfield throws 2 TD passes as Panthers defeat Bills 21-0