Carson Beck and Haynes King dazzle in Hall of Fame Game

In a game that finished Carolina Panthers 33 - 30 Arizona Cardinals, the rookies grabbed everyone's attention with performances beyond their years.

NFL Game Pass subscribers on DAZN get this one free, just like the rest of the preseason slate, with live, full replay, Game in 40 and highlights options all available.

Here's how the rookies dominated in the opening exhibition of the 2026 NFL season.

Beck's performance puts Brissett on notice

There wasn't much hesitation in Beck's first game, and that stayed true from his opening drop-back through to the moment his night ended early in the third quarter.

He almost registered his first passing touchdown at the beginning of the second quarter, driving the length of the field before Corey Kiner punched in a score on the ground instead.

But the third-rounder out of Miami wasn't to be denied on Arizona's next drive, delivering a pinpoint back shoulder fade to wide receiver Simi Fehoko from the 5-yard line for a touchdown.

"[He] threw a great ball," Fehoko said, "and all I had to do was catch it."

Beck finished with 15-of-19 through the air for 188 yards and a score, ending his night with an impressive 125.4 quarterback rating.

Head coach Mike LaFleur wasn't surprised by any of it, crediting quarterbacks coach Matt Schaub for Beck's progress.

"He doesn't make it too big. He just lives by the play," LaFleur said. "He's proud of the way he played, and it's a good first stepping stone for him."

Beck admitted, "there's going to be things to fix," but he also spoke to how happy he was overall, telling reporters, "it feels great to go in and succeed and execute within the offense."

Jacoby Brissett is still the heavy favourite to open Week 1 under center, but after a night like this, Beck's path to the starting role just became a little shorter.

King's walk-off caps a wild Panthers night

Kenny Pickett handled the opening three drives before King came in for the final two and a half quarters and changed the whole complexion of the game.

The undrafted rookie out of Georgia Tech went 21-of-34 through the air for two touchdowns and 180 yards, then piled on 39 more yards and a score across just three carries.

Impressive though he was from the off, none of what he did mattered as much as the finish, a 5-yard touchdown scramble with no time left on the clock.

Wide receiver David Moore didn't mince his words about the youngster from Georgia Tech.

"Oh my God, he's so amazing," Moore said, working himself into full hype mode for his teammate. "Out of all my 10 years, I've never seen the ending of a game like that in the preseason."

Head coach Dave Canales pointed to his own experience developing a similarly mobile passer in Seattle.

"I was spoiled to have Russell Wilson early on in his career, and when you covered us well, he took off and ran," he said. "There's no formula. We're not trying to make Haynes anything other than what he is."

Bryce Young remains the starter in Carolina, and that isn't changing anytime soon, but King's name just moved a bit higher up the conversation as to who will serve as his backup.

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