Injury Updates

Though there has yet to be an official report on the injuries during Sunday’s game, it looks like the Panthers have avoided the major ones. WR D. J. Hackett and DE Hilee Taylor both left the game with knee injuries, while center Ryan Kalil left with an ankle injury, but as of right now, none of them appear to be serious.  Obviously the biggest injury would be Kalil, who plays a fundamental role in the Panthers running game and pass protection.  I wouldn’t be suprised if the Panthers were just being a little cautious with him, seeing as there was no great need for him to come back into the game.

As for the Panthers two tackles, it is still unclear weather or not they will start next week against Tampa Bay, so we’ll have to wait until tomorrow in order to find out more.  Also, if you’re wondering about Steve Smith, who left the game midway through the fourth quarter with a shoulder injury, he was not mentioned on any of the team’s injury reports.

Williams Nominated for Player of the Week

Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams was nominated for the Fed Ex ground player of the week.  Williams had a career high 123 yards and two touchdowns rushing Sunday.  With this performance Williams definitely showed that he deserves to be the starter over Jonathan Stewart, though the two of them will continue to split carries.  This allows for the Panther to lean on the hotter back if another is sturggling.  For the first time since 2003, it actually seems that the Panthers are getting real production out of their running backs.

Other Notes

John Kasay has been money this season on field goals, going a perfect 10 for 10, the longest being a 49 yarder.  After watching Martin Gramatica get a field goal attempt blocked and run back for a touchdown, as well as miss a potential game winning field goal in the fourth quarter, you sort of realize how reliable John Kasay has been all these years.

The Panthers defense now ranks fourth in the league, with only 254.4 yards allowed per game, and third in the league with only 14 points allowed per game.  Yeah, stats mean jack when it comes to gametime, but they are a good indicatior of how well that defense is playing, and as the saying goes, defense wins championships. 

Tags: hackett, kalil, kilee taylor