Haynes King walked into his NFL debut with two simple goals: show he belongs, and get the chance to stand on the same field with Luke Kuechly. By the end of Thursday night in Canton, Ohio, he had done both.
The Carolina Panthers rookie quarterback delivered the kind of first impression that gets noticed fast, finishing with the game-winning touchdown on a 5-yard run as time expired in a 33-30 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. On the final drive, King led Carolina 65 yards in 13 plays over the last 1:55, then kept the march alive with a 26-yard run on third-and-14 before finishing it himself.
"Well, that was a lot of fun," Panthers coach Dave Canales said, opening his post-game press conference. "The players were real resiliant."
King came in as an undrafted free agent knowing the preseason opener was his chance to show what he could do on a professional field. He made the most of it, going 21 of 34 for 180 yards and throwing two touchdown passes.
"I haven't played at this level yet, just to go out there and showcase my ability," he said.
For a quarterback who is also a coach’s son, the path here has been built on work. During fall camp of his senior year at Georgia Tech, King often slept in the locker room so he could stay locked in on football. That grind showed up Thursday.
He entered the game after starter Kenny Pickett and took over at the start of the fourth series. From there, the Panthers’ offense found its rhythm quickly, producing a touchdown and a field goal to help force a 17-17 halftime tie.
King’s first scoring strike was a 4-yard pass to Anthony Tyus III, who had bounced back after a third-quarter fumble. His second touchdown throw put Carolina ahead 24-20 at 14:20 of the third quarter.
One of his sharper moments came on a third-and-15 with 2:57 left in the third quarter. King stood in a clean pocket and dropped a touch pass over Cardinals rookie Harrison Wallace III, with Jimmy Horn Jr. rising to secure the first down. NBC Sports broadcaster Cris Collinsworth summed it up in two words: "Wow,"
Not everything was clean. Late in the first half, Horn slipped free uncovered, but King fired a throw that was too high and too wide for the second-year receiver to bring in.
Still, the debut checked off the boxes King had set for himself, and it left him with one more thing on his mind: finally meeting Kuechly before the Hall of Famer is officially enshrined.
"I have not met him yet," King said. "His name and pictures are everywhere."
And after the way Thursday ended, the Panthers may have another image worth remembering too: King diving across the goal line to finish off a win.
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