Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales has a lot of "respect" for Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield will play against the Carolina Panthers in Week 18 despite dealing with a shoulder and knee injury.
Panthers head coach Dave Canales, who was Mayfield's OC in Tampa in 2023, spoke about his "respect" level of Mayfield heading into this massive NFC South clash.
"My short time with Baker, this is a tough guy. This is a competitor. He's a great teammate. He's going to be out there with this team, and he's going to give everything he has," Canales said. "We got to expect that. We got to be ready for that version of Baker, and, so, and I respect him for it, and I've seen him battle through things and find his way to game day and give everything he has."
Mayfield suffered a left shoulder injury against the Los Angeles Rams earlier in the season. The left shoulder is Mayfield's non-throwing shoulder, but he has thrown five of his 10 interceptions in the five games since.
Mayfield, who played for the Panthers in 2022, is one of the most competitive players in the NFL. Even though he and his team haven't won since Nov. 30, the QB is ready to roll for the biggest game of the season on Saturday.
"[You] have to have a short memory, and I do. I know what the priority is, and that's winning [on] Saturday," Mayfield said. "To be able to completely forget what's going on? No, being the competitor I am, [I am] frustrated with where we're at. I am able to compartmentalize and be able to focus on Saturday."
Mayfield has 3,490 passing yards, 25 passing touchdowns and 10 interceptions on the season.
The Panthers can clinch the NFC South and a playoff berth with a win/tie or an Atlanta Falcons win.
Meanwhile, the Buccaneers can clinch with a win and a Falcons loss.