Panthers QB Sam Darnold gets the perfect debut game in Week 1

Carolina Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold now knows when he’ll get the chance to prove his old team wrong during the 2021 season.

It was a date for the diary that Sam Darnold was clearly looking out for.

The Carolina Panthers welcome the New York Jets to Bank of America Stadium in Week 1 of the 2021 season, which will see Darnold come up against the team that drafted him since he was traded this offseason. His fate was sealed very early on last year when the organization looked primed for the No. 1 overall selection and the chance to take Trevor Lawrence before winning two games and settling for Zach Wilson at No. 2.

This left Darnold stung by the Jets, who did almost nothing to him in a position to succeed after arriving at MetLife Stadium as the No. 3 overall selection in 2018. Couple this with a head coach in Adam Gase who had absolutely no idea how to manage an NFL franchise from the top job and it’s not hard to see why the player is getting a pass for his career achievements so far.

That will not be the case in Carolina. After the team decided to pass on the opportunity to select Ohio State‘s Justin Fields at No. 8 overall, they brought in plenty of useful prospects that will put it squarely on Darnold’s talent at that alone.

Whether he can reinvigorate his career in a different environment remains to be seen. But it’s hard to envisage a situation where Darnold gets another chance if he fails with the Panthers over the next couple of seasons.

Carolina Panthers need Sam Darnold to hit the ground running.

Getting one over on his former team would be a massive confidence boost. How ironic that Darnold’s first competitive game for the Panthers will come against his old team on home soil, so the stakes could not be higher from the word go.

This is the perfect game for Darnold. And one that could set the tone for the entire campaign.

If he gets off on the right foot with victory against the Jets, then it is a solid foundation from which to build.

Failure – especially if it’s mostly his doing – is going to make things very difficult from very early on in the season.

One loss won’t define Darnold’s tenure with the Panthers. However, the signal-caller might just be on a very short leash if he can’t get it done in what appears to be one of the more winnable games on the schedule.

Better to get this one out of the way nice and early.

The Jets underwent some considerable changes during the offseason that might take some time to gel. This only enhances Carolina’s chances of getting their season underway with the best possible start.

That is, of course, if Darnold lives up to his end of the bargain.