CHARLOTTE, N.C. - There will be no revenge for Baker Mayfield. Not now anyway.
Despite a fourth-quarter rally that saw the former Cleveland Browns franchise quarterback direct three scoring drives and take a one-point lead, Mayfield couldn't get the defensive stop that he needed from the Carolina Panthers' defense and a 58-yard field goal from rookie Cade York with 8 seconds left lifted Cleveland to a 26-24 victory.
The Panthers' last ditch hook-and-ladder attempt failed deep in their own territory and Cleveland escaped victorious.
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Here are three things we learned Sunday at Bank of America Stadium.
The jitters were evident. Mayfield opened the game by having his first pass batted at the line, he bobbled multiple snaps throughout the game, had two more first-half passes swatted down by defensive linemen, and threw a first-half interception. Eventually, Mayfield settled in and had stretches of improved effectiveness. He looked good on Carolina's final drive of the first half, completing passes of 7, 16, 50 and 1 yards to set up Christian McCaffrey for a touchdown run. And he directed two fourth-quarter scoring drives (he scored on a seven-yard run, then threw a 75-yard touchdown pass to Robbie Anderson). Despite the struggles, the Panthers still had a chance. However, Mayfield certainly put his team in a hole. Going forward, finding improved consistency and eliminating unforced errors rank high on Mayfield's to-do list. Some struggles can be expected as Mayfield is still learning a new offense, having just joined the Panthers in July. However, he must fix the ball security issues and be mindful that defenders now are making a conscious effort to deflect his passes at the line and adjust accordingly.
The Browns opted against trading for Jimmy Garoppolo once they learned Watson would serve an 11-game suspension, and that's because they have a lot of confidence in Jacoby Brissett. Sure, he has his limitations, but he does a good job of playing within the framework of the offense and rarely forces things. The Browns believed that they have enough talent on both sides of the ball to compensate for Brissett's deficiencies and still be competitive. They'll rely heavily on the two-headed rushing attack of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, and their imposing defense, and those two elements should help keep them in a lot of games. The effective run game helped the Browns win the time of possession battle by a healthy margin, and also put Brissett in a number of third-and-manageable situations. Meanwhile, the defense sacked Mayfield four times and denied the Panthers on seven of 11 third downs. The Browns will face more formidable opponents than Carolina going forward, so the challenge will intensify. But the Browns feel good about the talent they have around Brissett. Brissett wasn't perfect, but with the game on the line, he did what the Browns needed and moved them into position for the game-winning field goal.
The Panthers certainly had their issues at quarterback the last two seasons, but the limited availability of Christian McCaffrey also had a lot to do with their offensive struggles. Healthy again after playing a combined 10 games the last two seasons, the versatile running back bailed out Mayfield and the offense multiple times. He didn't tear it up, rushing for just 33 yards on nine carries, and recording three catches for 24 yards. But McCaffrey showed flashes of his old self. Featuring McCaffrey more prominently, and his ability to remain healthy, should go a long way to helping ease pressure on Mayfield and keeping the Panthers in games.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cleveland Browns get last laugh against Baker Mayfield, Carolina Panthers with late field goal