Haynes King ran into the end zone as the clock hit zero, and the Carolina Panthers had themselves a 33-30 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday night in the NFL’s annual Hall of Fame Game at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio.
The undrafted rookie quarterback scored on a 5-yard scramble with no time remaining, capping a night that started with him buried on the depth chart and ended with him as the story of the league’s preseason opener. According to NBC Sports, King entered the game behind starter Kenny Pickett and turned a mop-up role into a takeover.
King finished 21-of-34 passing for 180 yards and two touchdowns, adding 39 rushing yards, per the Panthers’ own recap of the game. He threw touchdown passes to Ja’seem Reed and Anthony Tyus III before delivering the walk-off run himself.
How the Winning Drive Came Together
Carolina trailed for much of the fourth quarter before King and the offense put together the decisive series. With the game on the line, he rolled out of the pocket looking to throw, and the field opened up in front of him instead.
King broke down the final snap afterward in a video posted by FOX Sports Radio 1340’s Sheena Quick.
“Dropping back, and it just kind of parted. I was going to try to extend the play because, obviously, it was the last play of the game. Then it just kind of parted. The linebackers started closing space, so I was like, ‘Oh, I can get around him.’ That’s what happened, and I scored the ball,” King said in the video posted by Sheena Quick.
Sheena Quick posted the clip on X: “Haynes King takes us through his game-winning touchdown #Panthers” —
Haynes King takes us through his game-winning touchdown #Panthers pic.twitter.com/9WKSsscWnb
— Sheena Quick (@Sheena_Marie3) August 7, 2026
Arizona had taken a late lead behind rookie quarterbacks of its own. Third-round pick Carson Beck opened the game and threw for a touchdown before giving way to Kedon Slovis, who found Bryson Green for a go-ahead score with under two minutes left, according to Yahoo Sports. That set up King’s answer.
Depth Chart Stat Line
| Quarterback | Team | Comp/Att | Yards | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Haynes King | Panthers | 21-34 | 180 | 2 |
| Kenny Pickett | Panthers | 8-11 | 62 | 0 |
| Carson Beck | Cardinals | 15-19 | 188 | 1 |
From Undrafted Afterthought to Preseason Headline
King’s path here wasn’t a straight line. He began his college career at Texas A&M in 2020, started and got hurt, lost and won back the job, then transferred to Georgia Tech in 2023. He turned that move into a standout final season, winning ACC Player of the Year in 2025 before going unselected in April’s draft.
Despite that resume, King signed with Carolina as an undrafted free agent, entering camp as the third quarterback on the depth chart behind Bryce Young and Kenny Pickett. Thursday’s performance won’t hand him the backup job outright, but it’s the kind of showing that forces a coaching staff to pay attention.
Panthers coach Dave Canales leaned into aggressive play-calling throughout the game, including a fourth-down conversion in the fourth quarter that set up King’s touchdown pass to Tyus, a sequence NFL.com noted showed King’s ability to keep the offense moving once he took over from Pickett.
What King’s performance means for the backup job behind Young remains to be settled in practice and further preseason snaps — not decided by one exhibition game. But it’s a strong first impression to build on.
What’s Next
The Panthers continue their preseason schedule against the Buffalo Bills on August 15.
