CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Sam Darnold’s debut as a Carolina Panther came Saturday night, but only in a “blink-and-you-missed-it” sort of way. And it offered no answers, just more questions about how effective this Panthers offense will be.
After not playing at all in the Panthers’ first preseason game, this time Darnold started in an eventual 20-3 loss to Baltimore in front of a lively home crowd at Bank of America Stadium. But he played only one series, completing 1 of 2 passes for 16 yards but getting zero points out of a drive in which the Panthers ran four plays at or inside the Baltimore 6. Two of those plays came at the Baltimore 1.
The Panthers are being so careful with Darnold that he is on a Cam Newton sort of schedule. Newton had a lot of exhibition games in his latter years with the Panthers in which he would only play a series or two. Darnold, though, is only 24, was traded to Carolina a few months ago from the New York Jets and obviously still needs a lot of reps with the Panthers’ first-team offense.
I would have given the quarterback at least a second series in this game — throwing two total passes in two preseason games isn’t enough. Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson didn’t play a single snap Saturday, but he’s a different case — an established star who was already an NFL Most Valuable Player in the very same offense in 2019.
Darnold’s first pass came on his first play, from the Baltimore 33 after a Haason Reddick interception and 26-yard return gave Carolina great field position.
Darnold threw a short pass to a wide-open Robby Anderson, who gained 16 yards. The rest of the drive was mostly a series of five runs by Chuba Hubbard — Christian McCaffrey, although healthy, didn’t play. Darnold’s only other throw came on first-and-goal from the 6 when he had some time but couldn’t find a receiver and threw the ball well out of the end zone once the pressure came.
The Panthers should have at least let Darnold throw once on either third-and-goal or fourth-and-goal, both from the Baltimore 1, but instead they called for two straight runs to Hubbard. Both were stuffed.
After that, Darnold retired to the sideline, along with almost all of the other offensive starters. He was replaced by Will Grier, who got backup snaps ahead of P.J. Walker in this game and who played well at times.
Panthers coach Matt Rhule has said all along that Carolina would point to the final preseason game — at home against Pittsburgh on Friday — as the one where Darnold and the offense will get the most work. I’d play him at least for a half in that one, because Darnold — and this offense — need the work.
