Panthers bench Sam Darnold for P.J. Walker

The first three games of his Carolina Panthers career went swimmingly for quarterback Sam Darnold. That included the former No. 3 pick of the New York Jets leading Carolina to a perfect 3-0 record while tallying six total touchdowns and one interception.

Since then, it’s been completely downhill for Darnold and his Panthers.

How bad was it Sunday against the lifeless New York Giants? Darnold actually committed a safety on an intentional grounding that hit his offensive lineman in the back of the head. 

With the Carolina Panthers down 15-3 against the Giants Sunday, head coach Matt Rhule opted to bench Darnold in favor of XFL star P.J. Walker.

Prior to being handed the clipboard, Darnold had completed 16-of-25 passes for 111 yards with zero touchdowns and one interception. In addition to that safety, the former USC star had tallied 100 net passing yards for an ugly average of four yards per attempt.

For the Carolina Panthers, it’s all about finding something that works at quarterback. At this point, it doesn’t seem like Darnold is that answer.