Panthers to start P.J. Walker at quarterback vs Falcons

The Carolina Panthers will start P.J. Walker at quarterback in favor of former starter Baker Mayfield for Thursday Night Football against the Atlanta Falcons, the team announced Monday afternoon.

Walker was benched at halftime last week against the Cincinnati Bengals after going 3-of-10 passing for nine yards and two interceptions and saw Carolina trail 35-0 at the half. Mayfield, the starting quarterback to start the season, made the second-half start for the Panthers and marched his team down the field, throwing a touchdown pass in his first drive under center. Mayfield would finish 14-of-20 for 155 yards and two touchdowns.

It seems the Panthers remain confident in Walker’s ability to lead them moving forward, as he was just one week removed from a career performance in an overtime loss against Atlanta where Walker completed 19-of-36 passes for 317 yards and a touchdown, including a 62-yard touchdown to DJ Moore that went on to force overtime.

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Walker will look to emulate the same performance he had in the Panthers and Falcons’ first meeting, though Sunday made it apparent that Mayfield can take care of business if Walker doesn’t show out.

Relatedly, former starting quarterback Sam Darnold has been added to the 53-man roster, per the same report. An ankle injury has kept him out of the Carolina quarterback conversation thus far and his status for Thursday is still questionable, but he remains a steady third option if he can stay healthy.

The Panthers will be looking to snap a two-game skid, while the Falcons have dropped two out of its last three. Both teams will be looking to gain some momentum for the second half of the season as kickoff between the Panthers and Falcons is set for Thursday night at 8:15 p.m. ET live on Amazon Prime Video.