The Hall of Fame game kicked off the NFL preseason last week, and it was great. The Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers put on a show, with the Panthers winning 33-30 on the final play of the game. The excitement wasn’t from players like Jeremiyah Love or Bryce Young, but in fact Carson Beck and Haynes King.

Two rookie quarterbacks. One drafted and one undrafted. Both played in the ACC in their last season of college, and the one who went undrafted won ACC Player of the Year. Beck and King both threw for over 180 yards, with King adding 39 rushing yards on the ground.

It’s the first game of the preseason circuit, meaning the two teams weren’t calling anything overcomplicated or complex. Just basic football. While some could downplay the performance because of that, both quarterbacks looked in control and confident in their offenses. We’ll break them both down today and highlight where each thrived in the limited snaps they played.

Carson Beck

Beck finished the game going 15-for-19 for 188 yards and one touchdown. He was in control, ran his offense well, and pushed the ball down the field, which was something he didn’t really do in college. It’s one game, but Beck had an average depth of target of 10.8 yards; his last season at Miami was 7.6.

The influence of head coach Mike LaFleur was also evident. LaFleur is coming from the Los Angeles Rams, who were in the shotgun 39.9 percent of the time last season, the lowest rate in the NFL. The Cardinals were at 71.6 percent, which ranked 10th in the league. Beck was under center on many snaps in the game, reflecting the influence of LaFleur’s offensive identity early on. It also showed how comfortable and confident Beck is in operating an NFL huddle this early into his career.

On this first play, we already see the under-center influence and a tighter formation. You can see Beck initially tap his foot, signaling a motion, and the receiver doesn’t react. Beck then stands up, yelling at his receiver to motion, so Arizona can get the play off.

It’s just a simple gap scheme that amounts to a short gain, but you can see the early control Beck has over this offense, as he remains calm when his teammates don’t fully understand the play.

This is another play that shows how comfortable Beck is with everything. One of the pros for him coming out of Miami was how he ran the offense like a point guard. He reads the defense and knows how to deliver it to his receivers who are open underneath or on these quick-timing routes. He did the same thing against the Panthers and specifically against the blitz.

Here Beck gets a five-man pressure with the field-side linebacker blitzing. The innermost receiver is running a simple out route, and since the safety above is replacing the linebacker who’s blitzing, the receiver is wide open. You want to see Beck get this ball out a tad sooner, but it looks like on this rep he’s just confirming the coverage by looking at the safeties once he gets the ball. Still, a solid and confident rep.

This was the highlight play of the night. It’s not the throw that is most impressive; it’s how Beck did this from undercenter. When Beck takes the snap, the first look he gets from the defense is a two-high shell. He turns his back, and the Panthers shift into a cover 1 blitz with the boundary safety bailing out into the deep middle of the field.

One of the hardest parts of transitioning to the NFL for quarterbacks is making quick decisions after turning their heads to the defense on a play-action, as Beck does here. The snapshot he had of the defense pre-snap is completely different when he’s able to turn his head again.

Beck does a great job maneuvering the pocket by side-stepping a little bit and throwing a rainbow to his go-route towards the outside for a big gain. One knock on this rep is Beck’s overall arm strength, as he leaves this throw a tad inside, causing his receiver to take a big hit, but still, it’s a good process to get here.

Again, this is another under-center play-action rep which Beck handles well. The Cardinals are running a simple dagger concept to the field side, and the Panthers are in a quarters coverage. The play works well with the receiver on the outside getting just enough separation for Beck to zip this ball inside and away from the corner.

Outlook

As previously mentioned, it was the first outing for both teams, so the game plans wouldn’t be too complicated. Still, Beck did everything he was asked and operated the offense like an NFL quaterback making some NFL-level throws. It wasn’t all perfect; there were times you wish Beck’s arm strength could’ve been better, but that’s nitpicking. The reality is the first outing for the Cardinals’ third-round pick was promising, and Arizona should be encouraged by how Beck can improve throughout the season.

Haynes King

King enters a different situation, one where he is underrated. There aren’t many expectations for him to make the Panthers roster, but with the surprise retirement of Will Grier, a door of opportunity opened. We all know this is Young’s team as the starting quaterback, but the backup position is up for grabs. Kenny Pickett is a solid veteran, but the upside of King could give him the spot.

What King did during his time on the field was flat-out more impressive than Beck, and he showed he can compete at the NFL level.

Now, King didn’t have as many under-center reps, but he was decisive in the shotgun.  The Cardinals are running a Cover 1 man here with the boundary safety being manned up on the inner receiver for the Panthers. That inner receiver runs a simple in route, and King delivers it perfectly on his chest before the backer can get in position to make the play.

Notice how King opens up to the field side with his eyes, causing the backer (44) to follow him. It creates an opening for King to throw this in route, and he does.

The Cardinals are running the same kind of defense here, but again King does a great job influencing the coverage with his eyes. Not only does he do that, but he’s working through his entire progression here, which is just a major green flag for the Panthers coaching staff.

King looks to the boundary side and doesn’t see anything he likes, then checks back to his third route (a sit by the inside receiver towards the field side); he doesn’t like it, then finally gets to his last reads. An in route by the outside receiver on the field side, he steps up into the pocket and rips this ball before the linebacker can close the window for a chuck play.

Look at how King mishandles the snap a tiny bit at the beginning of the play as well. That slight mishap can throw off a quarterback’s timing, but King recovers nicely and makes this throw.

This was no doubt King’s best throw of the night. Panthers are running a scissors concept towards the field side on this play, meaning the outside receiver runs a post and the inside runs a corner. They have the tight end running a flat, which is key.

The Cardinals are running quarters coverage, which means the corner at the bottom of the screen has to take the vertical post. The flat defender (30) hesitates for a second towards the flat route, giving King the sliver of room he needs to thread this ball into his receiver’s hands and between two defenders.

There’s no margin for error in this throw. It has to be on a line and high enough to get over the flat defender’s hands. King does it and converts a first down.

King deserves the praise he’s gotten, but it wasn’t all perfect. On this rep, he’s going to get some interior pressure from the Cardinals’ defensive line, not giving him an avenue to step up. His back leaks out and is wide open in the flat, or he has a drag route coming across the field. He can throw it to either of those options, but inside shuffles back into the pocket and extends the play.

Yes, he completes it and gains some yardage on the play, but the hesitation is what you want to see cleaned up. At the top of his drop, you see his feet shuffle in place for a second as he drifts even deeper into his drop because he’s hesitating and doesn’t know what to do. You want King to be more in control of this rep and be able to check it down faster. Nothing crazy, but something he can work on.

Outlook

Will the Panthers be comfortable with King as their backup? Probably not. They’d rather have a veteran like Pickett operate the offense if Young were to go down. Still, King showed promise and the ability to extend plays, both of which are crucial in today’s NFL. He’ll likely make the roster due to his playmaking ability on the ground, but will his quarterbacking be enough to be the backup? A couple more solid outings could tilt the scales in his favor.