Haynes King Runs for Walk-Off Touchdown as Panthers Beat Cardinals 33-30 in Hall of Fame Game

The 2026 NFL preseason opened Thursday night in Canton, Ohio, with one of the more dramatic finishes the Hall of Fame Game has seen in years. Undrafted rookie quarterback Haynes King scrambled five yards into the end zone as time expired, giving the Carolina Panthers a 33-30 win over the Arizona Cardinals at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
The Cardinals had taken a 30-27 lead with 1:55 remaining when quarterback Kedon Slovis connected with Bryson Green on a contested catch in the right corner of the end zone. The play was initially ruled incomplete, but replay confirmed Green got both feet down with control. It looked like Arizona would escape with the win. Carolina got the ball back with no timeouts and under two minutes to play, and King drove the offense 65 yards in 12 plays without a single timeout before finishing it himself.

King’s Night

King entered in the second quarter when Kenny Pickett came off the field and did not stop moving the ball. He finished 21 of 34 for 180 yards, threw two touchdown passes, added 39 yards on the ground, and converted five of his six drives into scores. He threw a back-shoulder fade to Simi Fehoko for one touchdown, hit Anthony Tyus III on a four-yard pass for another, and found Ja’seem Reed twice for key gains in the second half.
What stood out most was not the statistics but the decision-making. King never appeared rattled, not when Arizona tied the game, not when they took the lead late. He made quick decisions when the coverage dictated it, took off when lanes opened, and consistently delivered the ball on time and on target. Head coach Dave Canales said after the game that King kept plays alive, made the right moves, and gave the team everything it needed from start to finish.
King played college football at Texas A&M and Georgia Tech before going undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft. He arrived in Carolina as a longshot to crack the 53-man roster. After this performance, general manager Dan Morgan will have a very difficult time justifying keeping him off the active roster in favor of a practice squad assignment. His combination of arm talent, mobility, and poise under pressure made him look more like a viable third quarterback option than a camp body.

Pickett’s Role and the Quarterback Depth Picture

Kenny Pickett started the game and played the first half for Carolina, finishing with 8 completions on 11 attempts for 62 yards. His performance was steady but unremarkable. He operated within the system without taking chances and managed two scoring drives before giving way to King. For a veteran backup competing to hold his roster spot, it was a functional performance, though King’s second-half display made the contrast unavoidable. Bryce Young, Carolina’s starter heading into the regular season, did not play, as expected for a Hall of Fame Game.

Carson Beck Impressed for Arizona

The more anticipated quarterback of the night coming in was Cardinals rookie Carson Beck, a third-round pick out of Miami who entered with significant hype. Beck delivered on it. He played the entire first half and one drive into the second quarter, finishing 15 of 19 for 188 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions, and a 125.4 passer rating. He navigated the pocket well, processed his reads quickly, and threw with conviction on multiple third-down conversions. Wide receiver Jalen Brooks was his favorite target, hauling in three catches for 99 yards, including a 49-yard catch that absorbed a massive hit before Beck found him again for the go-ahead score late.

Backup Safeties Made Their Case

Carolina’s safety depth competition was another subplot worth watching. Zakee Wheatley, a rookie from Penn State, led all Panthers with eight tackles and forced a fumble that swung momentum back to Carolina in the third quarter. Lathan Ransom, a fourth-round pick from Ohio State in 2025 who missed most of last season with an injury, made an immediate impact on special teams with a textbook punt down play. Both players are competing for a third safety spot on the final roster, and both helped their case Thursday night.

Other Standouts

Wide receiver John Metchie III, one of Carolina’s offseason free-agent additions, caught three passes for 38 yards and contributed a 35-yard kickoff return to set up an early scoring drive. Running back AJ Dillon punched in a one-yard score on Carolina’s first touchdown drive of the game. On Arizona’s side, receiver Harrison Wallace III had a 27-yard catch that helped Arizona build their second-half lead before King took over.
Source: Yahoo Sports, NBC Sports, NFL.com, Panthers.com, The Athletic