49ers vs. Panthers: How Carolina spoils Week 5 for San Francisco

Reason No. 3: Baker Mayfield gets his revenge game vs. Nick Bosa, 49ers

Remember back in 2019 when then-Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield was absolutely steamrolled by the 49ers, particularly a rookie pass-rusher named Nick Bosa?

Bosa sacked Mayfield twice in that game, essentially planting a Niners flag on what was one of the quarterback’s poorest performances in his career up to that point. And San Francisco’s defense held Mayfield to an 8-of-22 mark passing for just 100 yards with two interceptions thrown, four sacks and a passer rating of just 13.4.

Needless to say, with Mayfield now in Carolina, a similar outcome is likely in Week 5, right?

Probably. But it’s not automatic.

Sure, Mayfield hasn’t exactly blown up the stat sheet with his new squad, completing just 54.7 percent of his passes with four touchdowns thrown against three interceptions, all for a 75.0 passer rating while taking 11 sacks to date. And Bosa will again be looming, too.

However, as anyone who has watched the NFL for any reasonable length of time can attest, games rarely play out the way fans and analysts expect them to.

If there was ever a time for Mayfield to get some retribution against Bosa and the 49ers for what happened back in 2019, Sunday will be it.