This “Victory Monday” is extra sweet for Panthers quarterback Baker Mayfield and his wife, Emily.
One day after Carolina topped the New Orleans Saints, 22-14, to claim its first win of the 2022 season, Emily took to Instagram to commemorate the occasion.
“Victory Monday,” Emily captioned the post, which featured Mayfield’s biggest fan at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Sunday.
Mayfield, who was traded to the Panthers this summer after four years with the Browns, completed 12 of 25 attempts for 170 yards, one touchdown, and zero interceptions in the NFC South matchup. Though happy about the victory, Mayfield said postgame there’s still “a lot of stuff to work on.”
“We’ll take wins whenever we can get them,” the 27-year-old quarterback began. “They don’t have to be pretty. Still have a lot of stuff to work on obviously. Just the way the defense played and special teams, it’s pretty great. The way we ran the ball honestly. The mood in the locker room is great. Get that first win, kind of a relief. That weight lifted off your shoulders. Just need to build on. Guys need to get use to this feeling and continue to chase it.”
Mayfield’s postgame sentiments mirrored those of Panthers coach Matt Rhule, who entered Sunday’s contest with a 10-25 record.
“It’s not a perfect game. A lot of things we still have to improve upon. A lot of things that showed up in the first couple games are still there. But I thought our guys competed,” Rhule said.
Hours before kickoff Sunday, NFL Network reported that Panthers owner David Tepper planned “to be patient rather than reactionary” in regard to Rhule’s job status, but that “wins must come and improvement must be evident.”
Rhule, 47, was hired as the Panthers’ head coach in Jan. 2020, agreeing to a seven-year contract worth $62 million.
The Panthers will try to improve to 2-2 this coming Sunday when they host the Cardinals.
