It was a big night for Carolina Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold as he took the field for his first taste of meaningful game-day reps since his trade from the New York Jets. The quarterback was looking to hit the ground running against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Bank of America Stadium – the final preseason game before preparations officially begin for Week 1.
To say Darnold has a lot on the line in 2021 would be something of an understatement. The Panthers gambled on the former first-round pick finally living up to his potential following a torrid three years at Met Life Stadium, so failure to produce will almost certainly force the organization into another signal-caller switch next spring.
This all comes down to confidence for Darnold. The better keyed-in the USC product is right from the outset, the better both his and the Panthers’ chances will be of surprising people in 2021.
With this in mind, here are five major observations from Darnold’s second preseason game in Carolina.
Observation No. 1
Sam Darnold
Sam Darnold was composed overall
Although it was just a preseason game, Darnold had the microscope on him not only regarding his production on the field, but also his composure and mannerisms in-between plays and on the sidelines.
He is never going to be a vocal, flamboyant leader such as Cam Newton. Darnold is just not wired that way.
Everyone has their own approach, which is fine. But despite the expectations surrounding the player, he held things together well in the face of greater challenges to come.
Sam Darnold made a solid start
If Sam Darnold was nervous heading into Friday night’s game, he didn’t show it initially. The quarterback certainly looked the part at times during the opening drive, which lasted more than seven minutes and went 60 yards before things once again faltered in the red zone.
Darnold made some nice throws and more importantly, didn’t put a foot wrong when it came to his decision-making. Credit should also go to the offensive line for their pass protection during the first series, although the quarterback was forced to scramble on fourth down before throwing an incompletion.
This continued on drive No. 2. Darnold connected with a couple of primary playmakers to lead them into opposition territory, which resulted in kicker Ryan Santoso sending a long-range field goal narrowly through the upright.
Darnold settled down well. Although it’s worth remembering the Pittsburgh Steelers rested their top defensive stars during what was their fourth warmup game after featuring in this year’s Pro Football Hall of Fame contest.
Any momentum Darnold can generate before going up against his former team in Week 1 is something to build off. And the coaching staff would have been happy with the opening series.
Sam Darnold – D.J. Moore connection
One thing that stood out when Sam Darnold was on the field is his timing with D.J. Moore. The wide receiver is sure to be his top target throughout the campaign and it was encouraging to see them seemingly hit it off right out of the gate.
Darnold has more weapons around him than he’s ever had during his career. He’s already on the same page with Robby Anderson after working with the wideout on the New York Jets, but it’s also vital that Moore generates better chemistry with his signal-caller to potentially enter the elite discussion in 2021.
The former Maryland star caught four receptions for 33 receiving yards on the opening two drives. This also included a long of 18 yards and Darnold was constantly looking for Moore when open.
There’s a long way to go.
But this was another good sign.
Moore’s production has been outstanding during his three-year career so far. Especially considering there’s been a distinct lack of consistency from the quarterback position almost from the moment he entered the league.
Whether Darnold can change all that is still undecided. But the signal-caller will be going to Moore early and often if the second preseason game is any indication.
Sam Darnold had the jitters under pressure
One doesn’t have to deliver far into the film where Sam Darnold is concerned to see how much he was under pressure constantly in New York.
The “seeing ghosts” comment was a microcosm of just how poor the protection became in front of him for the most part. Something that has to change in the coming months on the Carolina Panthers if he wants to reignite his career.
Things looked pretty solid overall in the first quarter. However, there were some cracks that began to show during the second that caused concern against Pittsburgh’s second and third string.
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