Jared Allen likely needs season-ending foot surgery
By John Buhler
Carolina Panthers defensive end Jared Allen reportedly suffered a foot injury against the Seattle Seahawks and likely needs season-ending foot surgery.
According to Jonathan Jones of the Charlotte Observer, Carolina Panthers defensive end Jared Allen will probably need foot surgery after suffering an injury in Sunday’s home win over the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Divisional round.
There's a sliver of hope that he can play through it. X ray tomorrow will tell more. But there's more concern than optimism
— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) January 17, 2016
Jones believes that there is a “sliver of hope” that Allen won’t need surgery, as he is reportedly scheduled for an x-ray on Monday morning. However, it seems that Allen is more likely to miss the rest of the Panthers’ playoff run than he is to play in the NFC Championship Game against the No. 2 Arizona Cardinals next Sunday or at Levi’s Stadium for Super Bowl 50 in three weeks time.
Carolina acquired Allen in an early season trade with the Chicago Bears for a future sixth-round pick. Allen had his best years playing for the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC North as their primary pass rusher.
At 33 years old, Allen is more of a complimentary player on the vaunted Carolina defense at this stage of his prolific NFL career. Carolina usually has a strong defensive line, but will miss Allen should he require season-ending foot surgery.
This is a Carolina defense that surrendered 24 unanswered points in the second half of their victory over the Seahawks on Sunday. The Panthers built a 31-0 lead at halftime and went on the beat Seattle, 31-24 to move on the NFC Championship for the fourth time in franchise history.
It marks the first time in a decade that the Panthers will play in an NFC Championship, falling to the Seahawks in 2005 under then head coach John Fox. However, it seems probable that Allen will not be able to play for the Panthers for the rest of the playoffs.