Panthers wide receiver Robby Anderson was hyped after scoring a TD vs. the Jets. Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Watch: Panthers share epic hype video ahead of season opener

Originally posted on Sportsnaut | By Vincent Frank | Last updated 9/12/21

The Carolina Panthers opened the Sam Darnold era at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte against his former New York Jets squad Sunday afternoon.

Ahead of the start of the game, the team introduced its new “mixed reality” panther, which reminded us of both "Back to the Future" and the "League of Legends" Worlds 2017 opening ceremony. It was one of the coolest things we’ve seen around the NFL in some time.

Check out our new mixed-reality panther that debuted today pic.twitter.com/8DwEvam9KM
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) September 12, 2021

At first, this looked to be a real panther out there before we all realized it wasn’t. When the animated creature took to the top of the Bank of America sign and ate the Jets flag, it became all that much more epic.

For their part, the Carolina Panthers opened up a 16-0 halftime lead against New York with Darnold completing 17 of 22 passes for 234 yards.

This article first appeared on Sportsnaut and was syndicated with permission.

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