Sam Darnold was benched early in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 25-3 loss to the New York Giants, but he remains the starter for the Carolina Panthers.

"Just felt like we needed somewhat of a spark," Matt Rhule said. "Sam will be our quarterback next week. He will be our quarterback moving forward."

Rhule turned to backup P.J. Walker with 12:41 remaining Sunday and Carolina trailing 15-3.

Walker finished 3-of-14 for 33 yards and also had one run for 13 yards during his time in the game.