Luke Kuechly leaves game with head injury
The Carolina Panthers lost wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin in training camp woith a torn ACL. Now, the Panthers have sustained another critical injury (albeit hopefully much more short-term) with All-Pro linebacker Luke Kuechly, who had to be helped off the field against the Jacksonville Jaguars with a head injury.
#Panthers LB Luke Kuechly slow to get up, helped off the field @wcnc pic.twitter.com/Tk88u8p4Yh
— Chris Clark (@ChrisClark_) September 13, 2015
Luke Kuechly is helped off the field, heads to the locker room. #CARvsJAX
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) September 13, 2015
Obviously, Kuechly being out for any extended period of time would be a huge blow for Carolina, a team that is trying to win the NFC South for the third straight year. Last season, the Panthers only went 7-8-1 but were able to beat the Arizona Cardinals in an NFC Wild Card game before losing the following weekend to the Seattle Seahawks and the Legion of Boom.
Without Benjamin, the Panthers are going to struggle on offense. Carolina is starting Philly Brown and Ted Ginn Jr. on the outside, something that scares absolutely nobody except for the folks rooting for the Panthers. Behind them are rookie second0round pick Devin Funchess and veteran Jerricho Cotchery, two more weapons that Cam Newton can’t be all that excited about.
Kuechly is the star of the show on defense, alongside linebacker Thomas Davis. If Kuechly is out for any extended period of time, the Panthers will need plenty of luck to repeat in the NFC South.