Haynes King’s Two-TD, Game-Winning Performance Shakes Up Panthers’ Backup QB Race
Kenny Pickett was supposed to be the safe bet. Then Haynes King took over in the second quarter Thursday night in Canton, and Carolina’s backup quarterback picture got a lot more complicated.
The Panthers opened their preseason with a wild 33-30 win over the Arizona Cardinals in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game, and while NFL.com notes Bryce Young sat out as expected, the game turned into an unexpected referendum on who backs him up. Pickett got the start. King finished the job — and then some.
Pickett starts, King finishes
Pickett opened the night the way a veteran journeyman is supposed to: efficient, unspectacular, mistake-free. He completed 8 of 11 passes for 62 yards before giving way to King in the second quarter, according to NFL.com’s Nick Shook, who described Pickett’s first few snaps as a quarterback still finding his footing before a sack ended his opening drive.
King entered and immediately changed the tempo. He finished 21 of 34 for 180 yards and two touchdown passes, adding 39 rushing yards and a third score on the ground. Shook wrote that King “provided the Panthers with an immediate upgrade, firing quicker and more confidently than the slightly hesitant Pickett.”
The two touchdown throws told their own story. King found Ja’seem Reed in the second quarter, and per CBS Sports, Reed caught two passes for 30 yards and a touchdown on a night that also included a 26-yard kick return. Early in the fourth quarter, King connected with running back Anthony Tyus III on a 4-yard score that put Carolina ahead 24-20, as reported by Fox News.
A finish built for training camp legend
Arizona wasn’t done. Cardinals quarterback Kedon Slovis found Bryson Green on a 1-yard touchdown with 1:55 left, according to CBS Sports, giving the Cardinals a 30-27 lead. That set up King’s answer.
He delivered it as regulation expired. King scored on a 5-yard touchdown run with no time remaining, sealing the 33-30 win, as confirmed by both Yahoo Sports and Fox News. It was the signature moment of an undrafted rookie’s first taste of NFL action — Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium erupting as King crossed the goal line with the clock at zero.
King wasn’t flawless. Shook noted he overthrew a wide-open Jimmy Horn Jr. in the end zone just before halftime. But the misses were overshadowed by what he did right: extending plays with his legs, keeping his eyes downfield under pressure, and giving Carolina’s offense a jolt that Pickett’s drive never quite matched.
Why the comparison matters
This wasn’t just about one good half of preseason football. Shook framed it directly, writing that “if we’re looking for a closer match to starter Bryce Young, it might be King” — a notable observation given how much of Carolina’s offense under head coach Dave Canales is built around mobility and improvisation, the exact traits Young leans on when plays break down.
Pickett’s game reflects four NFL seasons of pocket experience and structure. He knows how to avoid the big mistake, which still has value in a backup role where limiting turnovers often matters more than making highlight throws. But an offense designed around movement and second-reaction plays doesn’t always reward that kind of caution. King’s ability to extend snaps and still find completions gives him something Pickett’s game doesn’t offer as naturally.
| Quarterback | Comp/Att | Yards | TD | Rush Yds | Rush TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kenny Pickett | 8/11 | 62 | 0 | — | — |
| Haynes King | 21/34 | 180 | 2 | 39 | 1 |
One game, not a decision
Nobody in the building is naming a backup quarterback off one preseason night. Pickett has three more preseason games to answer back, and his regular-season experience remains real currency on an NFL roster. One shaky half doesn’t erase four years of starts.
Still, the door King kicked open Thursday won’t close on its own. If he keeps playing with the same decisiveness against Buffalo or Cleveland in the coming weeks, Canales and the coaching staff will have a harder time keeping him third on the depth chart than they would have expected a week ago.
