Haynes King’s Walk-Off TD Lifts Panthers Over Cardinals In Hall of Fame Game

The Carolina Panthers opened the 2026 preseason with a dramatic 33-30 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday night in Canton, Ohio, as third-string quarterback Haynes King capped the Hall of Fame Game with a 5-yard touchdown run as time expired.

The night’s headline performance, however, may have belonged to the other side of the ball. Arizona rookie quarterback Carson Beck, making his first NFL appearance, looked like the best player on the field for long stretches of the first half. Beck finished 15 of 19 for 188 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions for a 125.4 passer rating, showing off touch on short and intermediate throws, accuracy outside the numbers, and impressive arm talent on deep passes. His lone touchdown came on a back-corner fade to receiver Simi Fehoko, and he mixed in pump fakes and double-move concepts that suggested advanced pocket awareness for a first-time NFL passer.

Carolina’s quarterback situation behind starter Bryce Young also came into sharper focus. Veteran Kenny Pickett got the start and looked like the player he’s been over his first four NFL seasons — steady, if unspectacular, eventually leading a touchdown drive after a shaky start that included a sack. But King, playing behind Pickett, was the more electric and confident presence once he entered the game, firing with more conviction and using his mobility to extend plays and pick up positive yardage.

King finished 21 of 34 for 180 yards and two touchdown passes through the air, adding 39 rushing yards and the game-winning score on the ground. It was enough production to raise real questions about whether King, not Pickett, is the closer stylistic match for Young and could move up Carolina’s depth chart as the preseason progresses.

Elsewhere, Carolina got useful reps from backup running backs Zonovan “Bam” Knight and A.J. Dillon. Knight led all rushers with 12 carries for 60 yards, flashing burst and vision that could put him in the mix for a depth-chart spot behind rookie Jeremiyah Love and veteran Tyler Allgeier. Dillon, limited to just a handful of touches, made them count, catching an 18-yard pass to set up Carolina’s first touchdown before scoring it himself and later adding a 13-yard run — his most productive NFL showing since his final season in Green Bay in 2023.

At receiver, with top options like Xavier Legette and David Moore held out of the game, bubble players John Metchie III, Jimmy Horn Jr. and Ja’Seem Reed each had moments in an ongoing competition for roster spots beneath Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker, though none clearly separated from the pack.