Steve Wilkes believes Baker Mayfield’s criticism of him is unjustified.
After a close 29-27 victory, Mayfield pointed to “individuals” as the reason for Wilkes’ struggles. However, Wilkes disagrees, noting he took over the Panthers midway through a season that started poorly, with a record of 1-4.
“Interim coaches don’t typically have much say over personnel decisions,” Wilkes remarked during practice at Flowham Park. “If they did, we wouldn’t have let go of our top player, Christian McCaffrey.”
Mayfield, drafted first overall by the Browns in 2018, joined Carolina before the 2022 season. His time with the Panthers was short-lived; he played just seven games and went 1-5 as a starter.
In December, the Panthers allowed him to seek a new team, leading him to finish the season with the Rams before finding a fresh start with the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay.
Just ten days after Matt Rhule was dismissed on October 10, McCaffrey was traded to the 49ers in exchange for several draft picks.
Wilkes praised Mayfield as a talented player who puts in a lot of effort with his new teammates in Tampa.
As for Wilkes’ defense, it faltered early in the season, losing all three of its first games. They fell again in a match where a field goal drive secured victory for the Jets, capped off by a touchdown after a blocked kick.
Looking ahead to their Monday night game against the Dolphins, Wilkes emphasized the need for improvement.
“Defensively, we’ve shown promise over the first three weeks, but we must learn to finish,” he stated. “That’s our current focus.”
He pointed out that while they contained the opponents to five field goals, not being able to finish strong ultimately diminishes their efforts. “That’s the challenge ahead of us,” he added.
Wilkes noted that, without linebacker Quincy Williams due to a shoulder injury for the next month, they currently rank 22nd in yards allowed per game.
“It begins with me,” he acknowledged. “We need to put our players in positions to succeed and capitalize on our chances.”
Reflecting on the previous games, Wilkes felt they had done well stopping the run and managing red-zone plays, but highlighted that finishing games effectively is what truly matters.
