Bengals embarrass Panthers: Just how bad was the Week 9 midseason meltdown for Carolina?
After watching from the sideline for nearly a month, Carolina Panthers quarterback Baker Mayfield trotted onto the field at Paycor Stadium on Sunday for his first snap since the end of the Matt Rhule era in October.
Down 35 points to the Cincinnati Bengals (5-4) entering the third quarter, Mayfield was set up for success on his opening series, following a 66-yard kick return by running back Raheem Blackshear. Mayfield led the Panthers (2-7) to their first score of the afternoon, guiding Carolina on an eight-play, 37-yard touchdown-scoring drive to begin the second half.
Mayfield, in garbage time, had a much improved output compared to starter PJ Walker, who was pulled at halftime after posting a 0.0 passer rating. Mayfield led three scoring drives with the game completely out of hand.
The 42-21 loss to the Bengals was one of the more one-sided losses in recent Panthers history. To his credit, Mayfield made the deficit a tad less nauseating for Panthers fans in clean-up duty.
From start to finish, the Bengals dominated the Panthers on both sides of the ball. Bengals running back Joe Mixon had a record-setting day, and quarterback Joe Burrow guided the offense by taking what the Panthers gave him.
Here are our grades for the Panthers’ performance against the Bengals:
Rushing offense
D-: Down by multiple touchdowns for most of the game, the Panthers couldn’t rely on their running game on Sunday. Running back D’Onta Foreman, who looked unstoppable during the past two weeks, was given opportunities to rev up against the Bengals. He had just seven carries for 27 yards.
Foreman’s limited production wasn’t really his or the offensive line’s fault, but the running game was basically nonexistent after the start of the second quarter due to the game outlook. The offense finished with 64 rushing yards and a touchdown on 18 carries.
Blackshear scored his first career touchdown — with 1:29 left in the game — and rushed for 13 yards on five carries.
Passing offense
D-: The Panthers’ passing offense in the first half against the Bengals was nonexistent.
Walker completed just 3 of 10 passes for 9 yards and two interceptions, and frankly, the numbers look better than the performance.
The Panthers had three consecutive three-and-outs, mainly because they couldn’t do anything from a passing perspective, due to a mix of questionable play calls and awful execution.
For some reason, practice-squad running back Spencer Brown was targeted on two of the Panthers’ first three failed third-down plays. Brown was predictably ineffective, gaining a yard on the first target and dropping on a shovel pass behind on the line on the next opportunity.
The Panthers and Walker had no juice as a passing offense.
Even when a play call would get a playmaker in a good position, the players would squander the opportunity. Walker, for instance, did a nice job evading a handful of pass rushers on a third-down play in the first quarter, and he fired a rocket to Tommy Tremble. The young tight end would watch the perfectly placed ball torpedo through his hands.
On the fourth series of the game, Walker threw a brutal interception with the Panthers already down by 21. Walker was looking to find Tremble over the middle, but unfortunately for the Panthers, the quarterback hesitated and got the ball out late. Bengals linebacker Germaine Pratt was able to get in front of the ball and pick it off to put the Bengals in position for another quick touchdown drive.
Later in the second quarter, Walker threw another interception. He overthrew wideout DJ Moore and was easily picked off Bengals safety Jessie Bates III. The interception took place on the Panthers’ side of the field and set the Bengals up for another score.
After halftime, Walker was benched for Mayfield, who was forced to overcome a 35-point deficit.
Mayfield did a nice job with excellent field position to start his first series. He completed 4 of 6 passes for 34 yards and a touchdown on his first drive against the Bengals. He later hit wideout Terrace Marshall Jr. for his first career touchdown on a 21-yard completion.
Mayfield finished the game with a 70% completion percentage for 155 yards and two touchdowns.
While he was able to create a spark with three scoring drives, that success came with the game largely out of reach. The Bengals weren’t trying to stop Mayfield as much as they were biding their time before celebrating in the locker room.
Rushing defense
F: The Bengals are known for their passing offense, but on Sunday against the Panthers, the running game was the catalyst for their success. With 14:37 left in the second quarter, the group had collected 75 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries. That total featured two QB sneaks, which only diluted the 6.8 yards per carry average.
Running back Joe Mixon was a problem for the Panthers all afternoon, as he blazed out of the gate with three first-half rushing touchdowns. He finished with 153 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 22 carries as a runner against the Panthers (more on his passing-game performance below).
Mixon wasn’t the only beneficiary of the Panthers’ Swiss cheese performance against the run.
Wideout Trent Taylor picked up 18 yards on three carries. Running back Samaje Perine added 51 yards on six carries.
Passing defense
F: With the running game running over the Panthers’ defense, Burrow wasn’t asked to do much. He made a handful of impressive timing throws, but for the most part, he took what the defense gave him. This was a fun day at the office for Burrow, who completed 22 of 28 passes for 206 yards and a touchdown on the afternoon.
The Panthers kept starting cornerback Donte Jackson active, despite an active injury. However, backups C.J. Henderson and Keith Taylor played in his place to start the game. While that duo battled Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins in coverage, the receiver duo still put up 104 yards on 12 total catches.
Unfortunately for the Panthers, with a 21-0 deficit midway through the second quarter, the Bengals were able to do whatever they wanted throughout the majority of the game.
While the Bengals’ running game led the way throughout the afternoon, a pair of interceptions in Panthers’ territory led to another 14 points before halftime. The last play of the first half for the Bengals offense was a touchdown strike by Burrow to Mixon.
Mixon broke a franchise record with five total touchdowns on the day. Burrow was taken out of the game to rest toward the end of the third quarter.
The Bengals’ offensive line had given up the second-most sacks in the NFL entering Week 9 with 30 takedowns. However, against the Panthers, Cincinnati’s offensive line gave up just two sacks and two QB hits.
Special teams
C+: The Panthers’ special teams unit continues to rack up penalties. On Sunday, the Panthers’ third phase was whistled for four flags.
Blackshear coughed up a fumble on a kick return to end the first half. However, he immediately came back with the impressive 66 return to start the second half.
Punter Johnny Hekker continued his strong campaign, averaging 54 yards per punt against the Bengals. But the coverage unit allowed 17.3 yards per return on three attempts.
Embattled kicker Eddy Piñeiro made all three of his extra-point attempts.
This story was originally published November 6, 2022 at 4:19 PM.
