Haynes King Delivers Big Performance in Carolina Panthers Win
· Yahoo Sports
The Carolina Panthers just wrapped up their first preseason game, beating the Arizona Cardinals in the Hall of Fame Game. Carolina used a final drive to take down the Cardinals 33-30, as quarterback Haynes King led the game-winning drive.
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While Carolina knows that Bryce Young will be their starting quarterback there's a battle to be the primary backup. Going into this game, it was Kenny Pickett as the presumed backup with King as third on the depth chart. Pickett didn't have a bad game by any means and was pretty accurate.
But King made a statement on Thursday night, including that game-winning drive.
After entering the game in the second quarter, King finished the game 21-of-34 with 180 passing yards, 2 passing touchdowns. He added 39 rushing yards on three carries, including the final play where he ran in for a touchdown.
"I'm very excited that I got this opportunity," King said after the game. "I feel like I went out there and operated at a high level. I feel like I affected a lot of people and allowed everybody around me to play better as well."
As King needed to make up some ground to catch Pickett, he made a good first impression in his first preseason game. The former Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year from 2025 went undrafted before signing with Carolina.
After Will Grief decided to retire suddenly, and the Panthers not signing Kyle Trask after a visit, King became the main competitor to battle Pickett.
Now, it's just one preseason game and the Cardinals didn't have their starters in but it's impressive either way. However, King will need to show he can do it consistently in training camp and the preseason. If he does, he could force a tough decision from Dave Canales and the coaching staff.
Fellow rookie Carson Beck got the start for Arizona and threw for 188 yards and a touchdown in the game.
The Panthers will return to practice to prep for the next presason game as they take on the Buffalo Bills on the road on August 15th.