Haynes King Caps 33-30 Panthers Win With Last-Second TD Run

Q: With starters benched for the August 6 Hall of Fame game, which under-the-radar player will use this spotlight to shock the league?

Kenny Pickett is the safest under-the-radar pick to seize the Aug. 6 Hall of Fame Game spotlight. The setup strongly favors him. Panthers coach Dave Canales has already said most first-team players will sit, Bryce Young will not play, and Pickett will start. In a preseason opener where snaps are often fragmented, the quarterback who opens the game usually gets the cleanest chance to control the broadcast and shape the narrative. There is also real career urgency here. Pickett arrived on a one-year deal as Carolina’s backup, and this is exactly the kind of stage where a former first-rounder can remind the league he still belongs in a larger role. Canales publicly praised his command of protections, preparation and downfield throwing in camp, which suggests Carolina wants to see him operate the offense rather than simply hand off. The alternative sleeper cases are thinner. Arizona is also expected to protect key pieces, and its quarterback reps could be split among backups, diluting any one player’s impact. Panthers tight end Feleipe Franks has had a strong camp and could flash because he needs the reps, but non-quarterbacks rarely “shock the league” in a standalone preseason game unless they produce multiple splash plays. If Pickett strings together two sharp series, pushes the ball vertically and looks decisive, he will dominate the postgame conversation. In this particular preseason environment, no under-the-radar player has a clearer path to a league-wide impression.

3 articles · Updated · Panthers.com · Aug 7

A final-play quarterback run by undrafted rookie Haynes King lifted Carolina past Arizona 33-30 in Thursday’s Hall of Fame Game after the Panthers trailed by three.
King finished his preseason debut 21-of-34 for 180 yards and two touchdown passes, then added 39 rushing yards and the winner while playing the final two-and-a-half quarters after Kenny Pickett’s start.
A third-and-14 scramble on the last drive kept the comeback alive, and coach Dave Canales said Carolina was always using four downs because preseason rules offered no overtime and he would not settle for a tie.
Canales said King’s late decisions showed the balance Carolina wants from the mobile rookie—staying in rhythm as a passer while still exploiting running lanes when coverage opens.