Panthers quarterback Baker Mayfield isn’t fazed by the boos he heard Sunday from the hometown crowd at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, where Carolina fell to Arizona, 26-16.
When speaking to reporters postgame, the 27-year-old quarterback said he and his team will “be just fine” after the Panthers were mercilessly booed in the fourth quarter when they failed to pick up a first down on a drive.
“Obviously I’m frustrated with the fact that we’re 1-3, that’s it though,” Mayfield said. “We’re going to come together as a locker room… I don’t really care about the fact that our fans are booing or what’s going on.
“We’re going to figure it out and when we win, it’ll still be just us in the locker room and that’s really all I care about,” he continued. “We’re going to be just fine.”
With just over nine minutes to go in the game, the Panthers were trailing the Cardinals, 20-10, when the offense turned the ball over. They got just nine yards on four plays.
The Panthers eventually executed a scoring drive once they got the ball back from Arizona following a Cardinals’ touchdown.
“Did we go down and score a touchdown after they started booing? Yes,” Mayfield said.
Panthers coach Matt Rhule told reporters Monday that Mayfield will remain the starter, according to ESPN.
Mayfield, who was traded to Carolina by Cleveland in July, was named the Panthers’ starting quarterback over the summer after beating out Sam Darnold in the preseason.
Darnold, who began his NFL career with the Jets in 2018, has been sidelined with a high-ankle sprain since late August. Though eligible to come off injured reserve, it is “going to be a while” before the quarterback returns to action, per ESPN.
PJ Walker is the only other active quarterback on the Panthers’ depth chart.
The Panthers host the 49ers in Week 5.
