Hall of Fame Game: Panthers vs. Cardinals Kicks Off the 2026 Preseason
The Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals open the 2026 preseason at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio, on Thursday, August 6 at 8:00 p.m. ET, broadcast nationally on NBC and streaming on Peacock. The game precedes Saturday's enshrinement ceremony for the 2026 Hall of Fame class: Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald, Luke Kuechly, Adam Vinatieri and Roger Craig. Fitzgerald's induction adds local resonance for Arizona, given his entire career was spent with the Cardinals.
Bryce Young sits, Kenny Pickett gets the start
Carolina is expected to hold its franchise quarterback out of the opener entirely. Kenny Pickett, brought in this offseason to develop behind Young after Andy Dalton was traded to Philadelphia, will start under center, with undrafted rookie Haynes King in line for extended second-half snaps. It's standard Hall of Fame Game caution rather than any hint of a QB competition.
Arizona's QB2 and QB3 jobs are still up for grabs
Jacoby Brissett is the presumptive Week 1 starter after holding the job through 2025, but ESPN has described it as 'not a lock.' Behind him, Gardner Minshew II and rookie Carson Beck are in a genuinely open competition for the backup role, with Kedon Slovis also in the mix for QB3. This game is one of the clearer live-action auditions that group will get before final cuts.
Very different 2025 seasons entering this rematch of preseason openers
Carolina went 8-9, won the NFC South and made the playoffs for the first time since 2017 before a Wild Card loss to the Rams. Arizona finished 3-14, a franchise record for losses, capped by a nine-game losing streak to close the season. Neither record means much for a Hall of Fame Game roster, but it shapes each team's camp mood and how much they lean on this game to evaluate the bottom of the roster.
AI Prediction
Confidence: Low
Panthers 
Cardinals Pickett gives Carolina a steadier floor at QB1 for this game
With Young sitting, Pickett's regular-season starting experience should provide cleaner execution early than a Cardinals QB room that hasn't settled its pecking order below Brissett.
Arizona's backup competition adds variance
An unsettled QB2/QB3 battle usually means more rotation and less rhythm in the passing game, which tends to produce empty defensive-driven scores or mistakes.
Coaching and scheme continuity favors Carolina
Dave Canales enters his third camp with the same core defensive identity despite injuries to Nic Scourton and Taylor Moton, while Arizona is further along in a longer-term roster rebuild after last year's franchise-worst season.
Hall of Fame Game randomness caps confidence either way
Starters for both teams will play a series or two at most, if that. Rookies, undrafted free agents and roster-bubble veterans typically decide the final score, which is why this projection carries low confidence.
This is a preseason exhibition. Snap counts are minimal for established starters on both rosters, and the result has no bearing on the regular season, playoff seeding, or either team's actual outlook.
Cardinals Leaders
Panthers Leaders
Venue
Closing Line
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Cardinals Injuries