NFC South

After a lackluster showing in his preseason debut last week, Carolina Panthers rookie quarterback Matt Corral didn't have much of an opportunity to showcase his skills in the team's 20-10 loss against the New England Patriots on Friday.

Corral finished 9-of-15 for 58 yards after going 1-of-9 for 11 yards last week against the Washington Commanders. He played the second and fourth quarters of Friday's game at Gillette Stadium, while third-year backup P.J. Walker played the first and third, a decision made by head coach Matt Rhule with Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold getting the night off in the midst of their quarterback competition.

While the idea to alternate quarters between two quarterbacks may have sounded good in theory, it proved detrimental to both Corral and Walker. Neither of them was able to get into a rhythm as Carolina's offense struggled to move the ball. Throughout the game, fans and pundits ripped Rhule for not committing to the rookie and giving him the chance to develop while Mayfield and Darnold sat out.

Corral should play the rest of the game. He won't come back until the 4th but we all know what's going on. PJ is auditioning for other teams. I still think its possible they trade Sam before the end of preseason but what team would take on that deal? Maybe one.

— Christian Audi (@TheEpicAudi) August 20, 2022

Panthers GM says, live on air, that Matt Corral needs more reps.

At the same time, PJ Walker is playing QB on the field of a preseason game.

Hello.

— Cameron (@CABrafford) August 20, 2022

Rhule needs to give Corral more reps. It shows that he isnt getting enough

— Titan_BlaZe (@The_Titan_BlaZe) August 20, 2022

Matt Rhule for two weeks straight hasn't put Matt Corral in any position to succeed.

— Go DJ (@iAmDJSmooth_) August 20, 2022

https://twitter.com/Stack_Edwards/status/1560769731774369793

Dear Coach Rhule, stop playing Walker and play Corral. It’s not hard.

— Sir Kimble (@SdotKimble) August 19, 2022

I would’ve preferred to give Matt Corral the start tonight - since Rhule has this extra goofy relationship with Sam Darnold. https://t.co/WsW96avogl

— Panthers Culture 🥷🏽 (@PanthersCulture) August 19, 2022

Matt Rhule wants to turn Matt Corral into David Carr so damn bad

— Primetime Carolina (@primetimecar) August 20, 2022

Rhule’s treatment of Corral kinda reminds me of how Borrego treated LaMelo 😔

— Kyle Warner (Kwarn) 🎤🚀🚀🚀 (@kwarninthemorn) August 20, 2022

Corral turned heads during his opening drive, making quick decisions and crisp passes. The drive ended with a punt, but it was enough to impress critics. His second drive was cut short because of a fumble by receiver Stephen Sullivan after a short completion.

Corral giving off some rookie Russ Wilson vibes to me. Good long ball, elusive, quick throws. Plenty there to work with.

— Carolina Huddle (@CarolinaHuddle) August 20, 2022

The rookie @corral_matt looking sharp early 🎯

📺: #CARvsNE on @NFLNetwork
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/IOlNg81vP9 pic.twitter.com/vvpfrtk8mb

— NFL (@NFL) August 19, 2022

Matt Corral using his legs 🏃‍♂️💨

📺: #CARvsNE on NFL Network (or check local listings)
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/IrukUr476A pic.twitter.com/JYkuORX3xN

— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) August 20, 2022

Matt Corral already has surpassed his completions total from last week.

— Joe Person (@josephperson) August 19, 2022

Corral looking like he belongs.

Big improvement over last week. Of course, he is playing with better players also.

— Carolina Huddle (@CarolinaHuddle) August 19, 2022

Another nice third-down throw by Matt Corral for a first down.

— David Newton (@DNewtonespn) August 20, 2022

That was a big-time throw by Matt Corral, whether it's ruled a fumble or an incomplete pass. Corral could be the best QB on the Carolina roster by the end of the season.

— Christopher Gasper (@cgasper) August 20, 2022

https://twitter.com/KennyRamsey22/status/1560782789498257411

Corral had a prime opportunity to showcase his skills with a two-minute drive, but his first pass was nearly intercepted by Patriots linebacker Mack Wilson. Corral completed a pass on third down, but it was measured to be inches short of the first-down marker.

The Panthers elected to punt rather than go for it deep in their own territory. Corral ended the quarter 6-of-10 for 28 yards. Fans turned on him briefly for faltering on his final drive of the quarter.

Mack Wilson read Matt Corral all the way on that one. Would have had a walk-in Pick Six had he held on to the ball.

— Alex Barth (@RealAlexBarth) August 20, 2022

Matt Corral has had a rough couple of games so far.

— Joe Dolan (@FG_Dolan) August 20, 2022

I went to Golden Corral today, and now I’m watching Matt Corral. Golden Corral was better.

— EDC #1 (@pastliferec) August 20, 2022

Panthers fans watching Matt Corral. 💀💀💀 pic.twitter.com/xOlS1jC0pK

— PWszn (@PutridLobster) August 20, 2022

Matt Corral takes a knee to end the first half. He's 6-of-10 for 28 yards passing.

Some flashes, still a work in progress.

— Darin Gantt (@daringantt) August 20, 2022

The fourth quarter was fairly uneventful, with Corral's first two drives ending with punts after minimal gains. He managed to complete three more passes for 30 yards, but he was later ruled out of the game with a foot injury.

Walker was inserted into the contest with less than two minutes left, and he was sacked in his own end zone on the ensuing drive. The Patriots recovered the fumble for the touchdown. Walker threw an interception to end the game several plays later.

Thanks to some questionable coaching decisions, Corral has not had the proper chance to get used to life in the NFL. Friday's game was a prime opportunity for the third-round rookie to get some significant playing time with Mayfield and Darnold out of the lineup.

The Panthers have to hope Corral's foot injury isn't too serious, as it's clear that his development has already been impacted by Rhule failing to give him a genuine chance.

Atlanta Falcons second-year tight end Kyle Pitts appears to be primed for a monster season in 2022, and even opposing coaches are starting to take notice of his unique abilities.

After a joint practice with the New York Jets on Friday, Pitts received high praise from Jets head coach Robert Saleh.

"He's a create-a-player on Madden. That's exactly what you would look like," Saleh told reporters. "He's gonna be a dynamic football player for a long time."

#Jets HC Robert Saleh said it was a great challenge going against #Falcons TE Kyle Pitts (@kylepitts__) during #JetsCamp, ‘he’s a create a player on @EAMaddenNFL’ + ‘he’s going to be a dynamic football player for a long time’: 🎥 @nyjets #TakeFlight #DirtyBirds pic.twitter.com/lwGHy1ube2

— Paul Andrew Esden Jr (@BoyGreen25) August 19, 2022

Pitts was selected No. 4 overall in 2021, making him the highest-drafted tight end in NFL history. He backed that up by recording 68 receptions for 1,026 yards and a touchdown, earning a selection to the Pro Bowl.

The Jets and Falcons will face each other in their second preseason game on Monday night at MetLife Stadium.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles apparently does know when Tom Brady's mysterious absence from the team will end.

Speaking to reporters Friday, Bowles said, "I know exactly when Tom is coming back, and I’ve consistently said it would be sometime after the Titans game [Saturday]."

Bowles' comments come one day after he said he wasn't sure when his star quarterback would return.

"We'll see," he told reporters Thursday. "We'll talk about it next week. Not concerned about it right now. We're trying to practice against Tennessee and play a game. I said, 'Sometime after Tennessee.' There's no definitive date for me. But we'll check on it, we'll keep in touch and we'll find out."

When Brady missed practice Aug. 11, Bowles announced he had an excused absence and wouldn't return until sometime after Saturday's preseason game against the Titans.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport noted Brady is fine and his absence is for personal, non-football reasons.

This marks the second time Brady has been away from the team to tend to a personal matter. The seven-time Super Bowl champion was excused from practice Aug. 5, but he was back the following day.

Given the lack of information about why Brady is away from the team, online conspiracy theorists have been digging for clues. One idea that came out Friday is that he's filming an appearance as a contestant on The Masked Singer.

Brady missed Tampa's first preseason game against the Miami Dolphins on Aug. 13. After Saturday's contest with the Titans, the Bucs will wrap up their exhibition schedule against the Indianapolis Colts on Aug. 27.

The Buccaneers open the regular season Sept. 11 with a road game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium.

Carolina Panthers quarterbacks Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold have been ruled out for Friday's preseason game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium after taking on most of the work in joint practices this week, per Darin Gantt of the team website.

With Mayfield and Darnold set to receive some much-needed rest, PJ Walker and rookie quarterback Matt Corral will each play two quarters against the Patriots.

Panthers head coach Matt Rhule explained the decision to give Corral and Walker more playing time Friday:

"It's two things; we want to see them both with the same groups, as best we can, so they both have the same set of receivers, and there's a consistency there. And then we see them with the third group, so there's some consistency there.

"Then the second part, and this was coach McAdoo's idea, and his perspective, as a backup quarterback, you have to be ready to go in the game at a moment's notice, and you have to be able to excel and play well without having much of a chance to warm up. This is our way of simulating that for them, where they have to warm up and get cooled down and go in there and be hot; that's how I see it."

Walker saw the majority of playing time in the team's preseason opener against the Washington Commanders. He completed 10 of 19 passes for 136 yards and rushed for 12 yards.

Corral played the fourth quarter against Washington and completed just one of nine passes for 11 yards and rushed for six yards.

Walker has spent the last two seasons in Carolina and appeared in five games in 2021, including one start. He completed 54.5 percent of his passes for 362 yards and one touchdown against three interceptions.

Corral, meanwhile, spent the last four seasons at Ole Miss and was selected by the Panthers in the third round of the 2022 draft.

While the Panthers want to see what they have in both Walker and Corral, it's hard to imagine either player will see time as a backup this season, as whoever loses the starting job in the competition between Mayfield and Darnold will likely serve as QB2.

Mayfield is expected to be named the starter for Week 1, per The Athletic's Jeff Howe and Joe Person, which would mean Darnold, who served as QB1 for the franchise last year, would be in line to back him up.

The Panthers open the 2022 season against the Cleveland Browns on Sept. 11.

The New Orleans Saints are banking on having wideout Michael Thomas for the start of the regular season.

"When the ball kicks off for real, Mike Thomas is going to be ready to go, and we're excited about that," head coach Dennis Allen told reporters Tuesday.

Thomas, 29, missed the entirety of the 2021 season with a left ankle injury and didn't participate in the team's preseason opener Saturday against the Houston Texans.

In early August, he returned to 11-on-11 drills for the first time since the 2020 season.

"Honestly there was a couple of times he ended up on the ground," Allen told reporters at the time. "That's all part of the process in building that confidence. I think he's in a good mindset right now, I think he looks good physically. I'm excited about where he's at."

And Thomas has been pretty happy just to be back practicing with the team again.

"Man, I'm kind of lost for words," he told reporters in late July. "I didn't want to come up here and get emotional or anything. But it was a blessing to be back out there with the guys."

"I mean, even the year that I played [a total of nine games in 2020], I was playing injured, and I was still kind of helping this team win games and move the chains. And I was clearly on one ankle," he added. "I'm just happy to be trending now in the right direction and handling my business. ... And I take pride in that challenge."

When healthy, Thomas was a receptions machine and a three-time Pro Bowler. He posted at least 1,100 receiving yards in each of his first three seasons and 100 or more receptions for three straight years between the 2017-19 campaigns, culminating in an epic performance in 2019 (149 catches for 1,725 yards and nine touchdowns).

But the injury bug bit in 2020, and now the question is whether Thomas can ever return to the form that made him one of the game's best receivers and most dangerous offensive weapons.

If he does, the trio of Thomas, Jarvis Landry and rookie Chris Olave could make the Saints very dangerous through the air.

Ahead of the Carolina Panthers' second preseason game this week, there doesn't appear to be a clear front-runner in the team's quarterback competition.

Panthers head coach Matt Rhule told reporters Monday that Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold will continue to share first-team reps during Carolina's joint practices with the New England Patriots before the two teams meet on Friday.

Mayfield got the start under center on Saturday in Carolina's 23-21 win in the preseason opener against the Washington Commanders. He played only one series and completed four of seven passes for 46 yards. He had a small hiccup when he fumbled a snap in the red zone that resulted in a 3rd-and-14, which he didn't convert before the drive ended with a field goal.

Darnold took over after the Panthers recovered a fumble at Washington's 19-yard line. On his third play, he threw an eight-yard touchdown to Rashard Higgins. He played one more series and finished 2-of-3 for 16 yards.

Both Mayfield and Darnold downplayed their competition after the game Saturday.

"It was my turn to start," Mayfield said. "Just take it one day at a time. Don't be critical of ourselves and try to get better."

Said Darnold: "For me personally, it's doing everything I can with the plays that I have. That's how I've got to take it at this point."

While there isn't much separation between Mayfield and Darnold on the field, determining the starter for this season might come down to their intangibles. ESPN's David Newton recently reported that Mayfield's personality and confidence give him an edge over Darnold in their competition.

"I want them to push the envelope," Panthers offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo said of what he wants in a signal-caller. “I don’t want them to be afraid to make mistakes."

Tom Brady somehow continues to get better as he enters his 23rd NFL season.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterbacks coach Clyde Christensen discussed Brady's level of play through training camp, via Peter King of NBC Sports:

I don’t think I’ve ever seen him throw the football better. It’s remarkable — 45 years old and the ball comes off his hand with such zip, throw after throw. How does that happen with someone who’s 45? It’s like a lot of things about him. It defies common sense. This just hasn’t happened before. What he’s done is incorporate his whole body into his throws. He has trained his arm to be a part of his throwing, not all of it.

Though we haven't seen Brady in a game yet this year, the 45-year-old has thrived since arriving in Tampa Bay in 2020. After leading the Buccaneers to a Super Bowl title in his first year with the team, he finished 2021 with a league-leading 5,316 passing yards and 43 passing touchdowns.

There was an extra game on the schedule last year, but Brady's 312.7 passing yards per game were the second-most of his career as he finished second in MVP voting.

Despite briefly retiring and returning this offseason, it's clear Brady is not slowing down.

Tom Brady's excused absence from Tampa Bay Buccaneers training camp "has nothing to do with" his or his family members' health, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.

Brady's mother, Galynn, has survived cancer, and his father, Tom Sr., was hospitalized last year from COVID-19.

During mandatory minicamp in June, Brady talked about his life outside of football, via Stroud:

"It's very challenging when you're 43 or 44 because there are a lot of other things that are pressing and a lot of other things that are really important in your life, like your kids and your wife and different relationships. Things have always taken a back seat to football. That's just how it has gone for me.

"I have a very tricky, complex life in different aspects and I'm just trying to navigate it the best way I can."

Brady's absence from training camp, which is because of "personal reasons," was discussed ahead of training camp, head coach Todd Bowles told reporters Thursday:

"We allotted this time because he wanted to get in and get chemistry with the guys and go through two weeks of training camp. Knowing he wasn't going to play the first two games, he didn't want to take away reps from Blaine [Gabbert] and Kyle [Trask], as well as [Ryan Griffin], as far as going into these next two games. It's something that he needs to handle. We trust him."

Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht told 95.3 WDAE on Thursday (h/t JoeBucsFan.com) that the veteran quarterback's absence from the team was "the least of our concerns."

The 45-year-old is not expected to return until after Tampa Bay's second preseason game Aug. 20 against the Tennessee Titans. The Bucs' first regular-season game is at the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 11.

Brady entered a brief retirement Feb. 1 before announcing his return to the Bucs for a third season, his 23rd year in the NFL.

He is aiming to increase his record total of seven Super Bowl titles, but missing some of training camp isn't likely to impact Tampa Bay's chances.

The Buccaneers have the second-best odds to win the Super Bowl this season at +700, per DraftKings Sportsbook. The only team with better odds is the Buffalo Bills at +600.

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Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule declined to commit to Baker Mayfield or Sam Darnold as the team's starting quarterback following a 23-21 preseason win over the Washington Commanders on Saturday.

"I have to really watch the tape to see exactly what they did, but I thought they were both in command," he told reporters. "They made the right checks, so I was pleased."

Rhule added that because Mayfield opened the game didn't mean he had made up his mind:

Panthers coach Matt Rhule on Baker Mayfield starting over Sam Darnold: “That was just for today. Just for today. Both guys played well in terms of production.’’

— David Newton (@DNewtonespn) August 13, 2022

Mayfield went 4-of-7 for 45 yards through the air and only featured on the opening series. Darnold took over for the next two drives and finished 2-of-3 for 16 yards and one touchdown. He helped put Carolina ahead 10-0 in the first quarter by finding Rashard Higgins in the end zone from eight yards out.

A preseason red carpet rollout 😎 pic.twitter.com/4km3e7LmvA

— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) August 13, 2022

Neither Mayfield nor Darnold played well enough or so poorly to render any continued uncertainty moot.

Sam Darnold comes out on a short field with a nice play action TD off his back foot under pressure. Got the TD drive Mayfield didn’t. At the very least, #Panthers should be happy is this is a competitive back and forth. https://t.co/H05aRbSHN9

— Charles Robinson (@CharlesRobinson) August 13, 2022

Still, you'd probably bet on Mayfield to come out on top by the time Week 1 rolls around.

Mayfield is coming off his worst season in the NFL, and his performance still basically eclipsed Darnold's best season.

The 2017 Heisman Trophy winner threw for 3,010 yards and 17 touchdowns with 13 interceptions while finishing with an 83.1 quarterback rating and a 35.1 QBR. Darnold has thrown for 3,000-plus yards just once in four years, and his QBR hit a high of 45.9 in 2018.

The Panthers acquired Mayfield on July 6, so he's had a little more than a month to acclimate. As much as Rhule played down its significance, it could be telling that Mayfield started ahead of Darnold.

Baker Mayfield will serve as the Carolina Panthers' starting quarterback for their preseason opener against the Washington Commanders on Saturday, the team announced.

Joseph Person of The Athletic reported Mayfield will play the first series or two (six to eight plays) and then Sam Darnold, the other member of the team's quarterback competition, will take over the offense for the same amount of time.

The situation has seemingly been trending in Mayfield's favor since he was acquired from the Cleveland Browns in an early July trade, and drawing the start Saturday is another sign pointing in that direction.

Panthers head coach Matt Rhule said last week the team wouldn't make any declarations until after the second preseason game against the New England Patriots at the earliest, though.

"I'm not putting a timetable on the quarterback position until after we get back from the Patriots week," Rhule told reporters. "The Patriots week is a true litmus test for us. That will really show us where guys are."

Mayfield showed occasional signs of living up to the expectations that come with being the No. 1 overall pick across four years with the Browns, but his production was inconsistent.

The 2017 Heisman Trophy winner posted a 26-8 touchdown-to-interception ratio in 2020, but that mark dipped to 17-13 during his final year in Cleveland.

Darnold, who was picked two slots after Mayfield in the 2018 draft, arrived to Carolina from the New York Jets last offseason. He threw more interceptions (13) than touchdowns (nine) across 12 appearances in 2021.

As a whole, the Panthers posted the worst passer rating in the NFL last season (68.5) as the trio of Darnold, Cam Newton and PJ Walker combined for 14 TDs and 21 INTs.

With Rhule seemingly entering the season on the hot seat, he's likely going to want a fresh option under center, which is another reason Mayfield might have the inside track on the job.

A few solid performances over the next couple of exhibition contests should lock in his place atop the Panthers' quarterback depth chart.