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After Beating Tom Brady The PJ Walker Hype Trains Gains Speed

By Melanie Day
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - OCTOBER 23: PJ Walker #11 of the Carolina Panthers looks to make a pass in the fourth quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Bank of America Stadium on October 23, 2022 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

I did not get to watch the Panthers game on Sunday as I was stuck at JFK Airport. And the Panthers’ coverage there is lacking. I checked the score periodically and was stunned to see the Panthers in the lead. My exact words to my travel companions were “well it’s fun to see even if it doesn’t last”. Imagine how shocked (and overjoyed) I was to see that in fact that lead lasted until the clock hit zero. While I still have yet to see more than about 30 seconds of highlights of the game, it’s my understanding that PJ Walker played well. He did enough to get the W. Something our previous hodgepodge of quarterbacks hasn’t done often. Sam Darnold is expected to come off of injured reserve this week.

But call me crazy (and naive since I didn’t watch the game) but I’m on board with PJ Walker starting this week and in the near future. He’s proved he can win, and against good competition at that. In my opinion, it’s his job to lose at this point. Darnold doesn’t give us a competitive advantage over Walker, and he’s got the confidence and the momentum. Keep him playing until he gives you a reason he shouldn’t be.

The Most Talked About NFL Quarterbacks in Week 7

So clearly I’m on board the PJ Walker hype train and it seems like much of the fan base is as well. BetCarolina.com took a deep dive into NFL QBs to identify exactly which NFL quarterbacks generate the most noise online and Walker was near the top after last week’s victory. They looked at the number of social posts about each team’s starting QB both during pre-season and after week 7. The most talked about quarterback? Well, it shouldn’t come as a shock that Tua Tagovailoa’s return to the field after two scary injuries garnered him the most attention.

But it’s nice to see a Panther’s QB getting positive attention for once. We haven’t seen that since the height of Cam Newton. Below you’ll find the Top 10 quarterbacks who have seen the largest increase in online chatter since the start of the season. Keep reading to see some of what is being said about the Walker. And if you’d like to check out the full study by BetCarolina you can read it here.

  • 1. Tua Tagovailoa

    Team: Miami Dolphins

    Week 1 Posts: 36,006

    Week 7 Posts: 352,419

    % Change: 879%

    Tua suffered two injuries within the spam on 5 days including one of the scariest moments of the season so far. Speculation on if he even should have been playing and much of the blame was placed by keyboard warriors and broadcasters on the Dolphins organization. So with all that drama surrounding Tua it’s no surprise that his return to the field in week 7 generated a lot of talk online.

  • 2. Andy Dalton

    Team: New Orleans Saints

    Week 1 Posts: 7,053

    Week 7 Posts: 64,664

    % Change: 817%

    The Saints traded for Dalton this offseason to be a veteran backup for Jameis Winston, and when Winston went down with an injury it was his time to shine. His first few games were respectable, but he imploded in week 7 on Thursday Night Football throwing 3 interceptions including 2 pick 6’s. That’s enough to get anyone trending on Twitter.

  • 3. Taylor Heinicke

    Team: Washington Commanders

    Week 1 Posts: 4,346

    Week 7 Posts: 32,441

    % Change: 646%

    There’s a bit of a quarterback controversy brewing in Landover this season. Carson Wentz started the season for Commanders but he is now on IR with a finger injury. So in comes Heinicke in week 7 with the win over Green Bay. The Commanders also have former UNC quarterback Sam Howell on their roster, but if Heinicke keeps winning there’s no reason to think he will see the field.

  • 4. P.J. Walker

    Team: Carolina Panthers

    Week 1 Posts: 3,955

    Week 7 Posts: 27,686

    % Change: 600%

    The last few years have been a complete debacle at quarterback for the Panthers. Teddy Bridgewater to Sam Darnold to Cam Newton to Baker Mayfield and eventually injuries have led to third-string P.J. Walker getting the start. And in just his second start this season he was able to come out victorious against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The feeling of victory as Panthers fans has been fleeting in recent years. Clearly they lived it up congratulating Walker and the team on a post Matt Rhule era win.

  • 5. Jalen Hurts

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Ci8wFN5uuru/

    Team: Philadelphia Eagles

    Week 1 Posts: 44,687

    Week 7 Posts: 269,934

    % Change: 504%

    Going 6-0 is a big deal and that’s where Jalen Hurts and the Eagles sat during there bye week coming off a win over the Cowboys. Hurts went 15 for 25 for 155 yards and 2 touchdowns in the win. The Cowboys always garner national attention, and the QB who took them down this week took some of that spotlight even while not playing.

  • 6. Kyler Murray

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CisudGwvc8P/

    Team: Arizona Cardinals

    Week 1 Posts: 40,661

    Week 7 Posts: 233,748

    % Change: 475%

    In one of his better games of the season, Murry went 20 of 29 for 204 yards and one touchdown in a Cardinals win against the struggling Saints.

     

  • 7. Daniel Jones

    Team: New York Giants

    Week 1 Posts: 31,420

    Week 2 Posts: 168,442

    % Change: 436%

    Daniel Jones and the Giants are off to a surprising 6-1 start. Week 7 was a 23-17 win over Jacksonville.

  • 8. Dak Prescott

    Team: Dallas Cowboys

    Week 1 Posts: 41,746

    Week 7 Posts: 218,946

    % Change: 424%

    Dak Prescott’s highly anticipated return to the field came in week 7, and he delivered coming up with a win against the Lions.

  • 9. Matt Ryan

    Team: Indianapolis Colts

    Week 1 Posts: 34,706

    Week 7 Posts: 169,778

    % Change: 389%

    Ryan threw 2 interceptions in week 7 in a 19-10 loss to the Tennessee Titans.

  • 10. Justin Herbert

    Team: Los Angeles Chargers

    Week 1 Posts: 45,254

    Week 7 Posts: 193,997

    % Change: 314%

    Justin Herbert and the Chargers took a loss in week 7 at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks.

  • What They Are Saying About P.J. Walker

  • You Just Don't Expect This Out Of The Panthers

    PJ Walker: 94.9 offensive grade – Best single-week grade of ANY QB this season. – Before MNF, Walker is the highest graded player in the NFL for week seven. – Tied for most ‘Big Time Throws’ in a single game this season (6).

  • If You Lived Through The Superbowl Loss To Brady This Will At Least Bring A Smile To Your Face

    Tom Brady after coming out of retirement and losing his family to lose to Mitch Trubisky and PJ Walker in back to back weeks…

  • I Sincerely Hope He Makes The Most Of This Opportunity

    And is fully given the chance to do so.

    PJ Walker: It just takes one (win) to get going and when it gets going you see the opportunities open up.

  • What A Pass

    P.J. Walker literally could not stop throwing dimes yesterday. @pjwalker_5

  • What A Twist

    https://twitter.com/4MR_Monty/status/1584596975961317376

    Bro what if PJ Walker was the best QB on this roster the whole time

  • Sad But True

    The Panthers traded draft picks for Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield and Matt Corral for PJ Walker to produce the best QB performance the team has seen for the last two seasons

  • This Caption Makes My Brady Hating Heart Happy

    PJ Walker graciously shaking hands with a lesser QB. What an amazing guy.

  • I'll Take 3-1 Any Day

    PJ Walker is 3-1 as an NFL starter. Talk about an underdog story. It doesn’t always look pretty. But he always looks confident. Makes a difference when you are allowed to prepare to be the guy.

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