Sam Darnold benched in fourth quarter by Panthers

Sam Darnold could be running out of chances with a second NFL team.

The Carolina Panthers opted to bench Darnold in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game against the New York Giants. P.J. Walker replaced Darnold with the Panthers trailing 15-3.

Darnold was awful on Sunday, and left coach Matt Rhule with little choice but to make the change. The Panthers quarterback was 23-of-32 for only 203 yards and a touchdown. Those are particularly damning numbers against a Giants defense that had given up 44 and 38 points in its last two games.

The Panthers have put a lot of faith in Darnold by trading for him and picking up his fifth-year option. Rhule has talked him up as well. One has to wonder if Carolina is second-guessing that commitment at this point.