Panthers Quarterback Suffers Foot Injury

The Carolina Panthers' regular season has gotten off to a frustrating start, but they got a little bit of good news Monday morning regarding their starting quarterback. After exiting in the fourth quarter of the team's 37-15 loss to the San Francisco 49ers with a foot injury, quarterback Baker Mayfield has apparently avoided major injury. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports Mayfield's X-Rays came back negative.
Mayfield went down on the team's second-to-last drive and was replaced by P.J. Walker. Mayfield had struggled to that point in the afternoon, taking four sacks and netting 199 passing yards on 40 dropbacks.

At 1-4, the truth is the Panthers have struggled under Mayfield all season. The offense ranks last in yards gained and 28th in passing yards. With head coach Matt Rhule already fired earlier Monday, the young quarterback is running out of excuses. If the Panthers continue to stumble upon his return, he'll likely be the next in line to take the fall.
Mayfield joined the Panthers this offseason following a trade with the Cleveland Browns. The former first-overall pick fell out of favor in Cleveland following four up-and-down seasons. Under Mayfield's tenure, the team enjoyed their first playoff win since 1994 but also endured a league-leading 56 interceptions and locker-room tensions

The Browns' dissatisfaction with Mayfield led to a controversial trade for Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, which precipitated a trade to the Panthers for Mayfield. Now on the precipice of a fourth losing season in five years, Mayfield is dangerously close to his last chance as a starter.

Photo Credit: © Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports