Panthers Reveal Starting QB Plans for Week 2 of NFL Preseason

The Carolina Panthers threw Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold into a quarterback competition this offseason to see who'd emerge as the starter. While Mayfield likely has the edge, fans still wonder who'll start under center when Carolina faces the New England Patriots in exhibition action on Friday.

It turns out that neither man is getting the nod against the Patriots. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reports that the Panthers are rolling with third-stringer P.J. Walker as their starting quarterback for Week 2 of the preseason.

Panthers Roster Rumors

Fowler added that Walker's start has nothing to do with Darnold and Mayfield's competition. Instead, it has more to do with the Panthers playing most of their backup players against New England. Having said that, it's still possible that either QB will make appearances at some point in the game.

Both Mayfield and Darnold saw limited playing time against the Washington Commanders last week. The former Cleveland Browns QB went 4-of-7 on his passing attempts for 45 yards, while Darnold went 2-of-3 on his throws for just 16 yards, but managed to connect with Rashard Higgins for an eight-yard touchdown pass.

The Athletic's Jeff Howe reported earlier this week that Mayfield is expected to be named the starter for Week 1 of the 2022 NFL regular season. Few are surprised by this rumor considering that the former first overall pick outperformed Darnold last year despite playing with a torn labrum.

Considering that the Panthers haven't made a formal announcement, one can assume that Darnold can use the remaining time to sway head coach Matt Rhule's mind. To do that, he needs to perform much better than when he had 2,527 passing yards and nine TDs to 13 interceptions in 2021.

Panthers vs Patriots Odds (Aug. 19)

Regardless of which players suit up on Friday, Carolina needs all the help it can get. For now, FanDuel Sportsbook lists the Panthers as 5-point underdogs against the Patriots with -110 odds to cover the spread.

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.