Panthers vs. Rams NFL Week 6 odds shift: P.J. Walker set to start at quarterback for Carolina and interim coach Steve Wilks

There's not a lot of good news to report on the 1-4 Carolina Panthers today, The club has fired coach Matt Rhule and replaced him on an interim basis with Steve Wilks, whose title was defensive pass game coordinator and secondary coach. In addition, Carolina will not have starting quarterback Baker Mayfield available this Sunday at the Los Angeles Rams. With Sam Darnold still hurt, that means former XFL player P.J. Walker will get the call. That news has pushed LA to a 10-point favorite from an open of 8.5 points at Caesars Sportsbook. The total has dropped from 42 points to 41.

This will be Wilks' second opportunity to be a head coach, having previously coached the Cardinals for one season. Arizona went 3-13 in 2018.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Mayfield is expected to be sidelined for at least a couple of weeks with a high-ankle sprain but is getting additional medical opinions. The 2017 Heisman Trophy winner injured the ankle late in the first half of Sunday's 37-15 home loss to the 49ers when a player fell on it.

Walker finished the game and was 5-for-6 for 60 yards with no touchdowns or picks and was sacked twice. Walker played collegiately at Temple -- where Rhule formerly coached – and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Indianapolis Colts in 2017. He also played for the Houston Roughnecks of the XFL in 2020, leading the league in passing yards and touchdowns before it suspended operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 27-year-old has made two NFL starts for the Panthers. In 2020 at home, he led a 20-0 win over the Detroit Lions, completing 24 of 34 for 258 yards, a touchdown and two picks. Last year, he led a 34-10 win at the Arizona Cardinals and was 22-for-29 for 167 yards, no TDs and a pick but did share some time with Cam Newton. The SportsLine Projection Model forecasts Walker to go 20-for-33 for 197 yards, 1.00 TDs and 1.20 picks vs. the Rams. 

Darnold, the 2021 starter for the majority of Carolina's games, remains on injured reserve with an ankle injury suffered in late August despite being eligible at this point to be activated. It's not clear who will back up Walker. Could the Panthers actually re-sign Newton?

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