Undrafted QB Haynes King rallies Panthers past Cardinals 33-30 in Hall of Fame Game

Coverage spread: 5 sources — 1 left · 1 right · 3 unrated

Lean ratings via AllSides / Media Bias-Fact-Check. How this works.

Where they agree

Haynes King scored the game-winning touchdown on a 5-yard run on the final play, giving the Panthers a 33-30 win.
King finished 21 of 34 passing for 180 yards and two touchdowns, plus 39 rushing yards, with no sacks or turnovers.
Both teams sat their true starters (Bryce Young, Jacoby Brissett) and gave backups and rookies the bulk of the playing time.
Carson Beck impressed in his NFL debut for Arizona, completing 15 of 19 passes for 188 yards and a touchdown before being replaced by Kedon Slovis.

Where they differ

The Guardian and Fox News provide the most detailed play-by-play, including King’s touchdown passes to Ja’Seem Reed and Anthony Tyus III and Slovis’s late go-ahead score to Bryson Green.
NBC Sports focuses heavily on King’s personal reaction and quotes about playing in front of Hall of Famers, while CBS Sports’ pre-game articles emphasize betting odds, lines, and expert picks rather than the outcome.
CBS Sports’ preview coverage dwells on team context — Carolina’s injury-riddled camp and Arizona’s coaching and roster overhaul under Mike LaFleur — that other outlets mention only briefly or not at all.
Fox News frames its coverage around the Hall of Fame Class of 2026 inductees (Brees, Fitzgerald, Kuechly, Vinatieri, Craig), while other outlets treat the induction weekend as background context rather than a headline element.

Undrafted rookie quarterback Haynes King ran five yards for a touchdown on the final play to lift the Carolina Panthers to a 33-30 win over the Arizona Cardinals in the 2026 Hall of Fame Game, the preseason opener held in Canton, Ohio. King finished 21 of 34 passing for 180 yards and two touchdowns, adding 39 rushing yards, while Cardinals rookie Carson Beck also impressed in his NFL debut before giving way to backups.

What happened in the game itself?

Played Thursday, Aug. 6 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, the game opened with veterans Kenny Pickett at quarterback for Carolina and third-round pick Carson Beck starting for Arizona, with neither team’s true starters — including Carolina’s Bryce Young — seeing the field. Pickett gave way to King with 9:38 left in the first half and Carolina trailing 14-7. King threw a 15-yard touchdown to Ja’Seem Reed in the second quarter and a 4-yard touchdown to Anthony Tyus III early in the fourth quarter to put the Panthers ahead 24-20. The Cardinals answered when backup Kedon Slovis, who took over from Beck, threw a 1-yard touchdown to Bryson Green with under two minutes left, giving Arizona a 30-27 lead. King then drove Carolina down the field, including a 26-yard run on third-and-14, before diving in from 5 yards out as time expired for the win. The Panthers outgained the Cardinals 378 yards to 425.

Why is Haynes King’s performance getting attention?

King went undrafted out of Georgia Tech despite being named the ACC Player of the Year last season, largely because scouts viewed him as more of a running threat than a passer. His polished throwing performance in Canton — no sacks, no turnovers, two touchdown passes plus the game-winning run — is being read as a statement that he can compete for a roster spot as Carolina’s likely No. 3 quarterback behind Young and Pickett. King, 25, called it “a dream come true” to play in front of dozens of Hall of Famers gathered in Canton for enshrinement weekend, saying he felt he “operated at a high level” and helped teammates play better around him. Panthers coach Dave Canales praised King’s ability to “find a way to win,” saying the team specifically practices for these late-game situations.

How did Carson Beck do in his debut?

Beck, a third-round pick out of Miami who led the Hurricanes to last season’s national championship game, completed 15 of 19 passes for 188 yards and a touchdown before being replaced by fourth-string quarterback Kedon Slovis (9 of 10 for 106 yards and a touchdown). Cardinals rookie head coach Mike LaFleur said Beck treated the moment like “just another game” given his experience in high-stakes college matchups. Canales, watching from the opposing sideline, said Beck “operated like a professional,” calling him accurate and poised under pressure. Arizona’s presumed starter, veteran Jacoby Brissett, and backup Gardner Minshew did not play, meaning Beck’s path to snaps this season depends on how he develops under LaFleur.

What’s the bigger picture for these two teams?

The game marked new starts for both franchises. Carolina went 8-9 last season but still won the NFC South, becoming just the fifth team in NFL history to claim a division title with a losing record; the Panthers also had Offensive Rookie of the Year receiver Tetairoa McMillan and added pass rusher Jaelan Phillips and linebacker Devin Lloyd this offseason, though camp injuries have already cost them Nic Scourton (torn ACL) and rookie receiver Chris Brazzell II (torn LCL, out for the season). Arizona, by contrast, finished 3-14, fired head coach Jonathan Gannon, hired LaFleur from the Rams’ offensive coordinator role, and moved on from longtime quarterback Kyler Murray. The Cardinals also used a top-five pick on running back Jeremiyah Love, who did not play Thursday but is now the highest-paid running back in NFL history in guaranteed money at $50.5 million.

What does the Hall of Fame Game itself commemorate?

The game traditionally features teams connected to that year’s Hall of Fame induction class, held the same weekend in Canton. The 2026 class includes Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald, Luke Kuechly, Adam Vinatieri and Roger Craig — Kuechly with ties to the Panthers and Fitzgerald to the Cardinals. King and other players described the experience of seeing Hall of Famers in town for enshrinement as a highlight of playing in the game, which kicked off the 2026 NFL preseason with the regular season set to begin Sept. 9.