The Panthers were already going to have an uphill battle trying to contain a 9-2 Saints team on the road. It certainly didn’t help that crucial Panthers players on both sides of the ball suffered significant injuries during their 34-31 loss on Sunday.
Defensive tackle Dontari Poe had to be carted off the field because of a leg injury in the first half and was seen postgame leaving the locker room on crutches. Poe has been one of the better defensive players for the Panthers this season with four sacks on the season and has been a quiet leader in the locker room.
“Poe is not a big talker, but he does a good job of leading by example,” Gerald McCoy said after the game. “Showing up on gameday, showing up to practice, doing his job – he doesn’t give anybody a hard time, he just does. To lose a guy like that, it’s tough – it hurts because that is one of your brothers. More importantly than what we lose on the football field [is we lose] him as a man, he’s a great man and a great person for the locker room.”
Not only did Poe suffer an injury, but left guard Greg Van Roten, the only player to take 100% of the snaps last season, and both starting tackles – Greg Little and Taylor Moton – also suffered injuries throughout the course of the game.
Van Roten injured his toe on the Panthers final drive of the first half and also did not return to the game. Much like last week against the Falcons, that forced the Panthers to reshuffle their offensive line; with Daryl Williams already subbing for Van Roten, Greg Little left with an ankle injury in the third quarter and was replaced by Dennis Daley at left tackle – then when Taylor Moton got rolled up on in the fourth quarter, a clearly-limping Little ran back onto the field and shifted Daley to the right side as he took up the left tackle position for a single snap before Moton returned.
Moton said in the locker room that he felt alright.
The Panthers second-round pick Little has already missed time this season due to being placed in the concussion protocol; he missed the first two weeks and then was placed back in the protocol after only a single start in Week 4.
He returned in Week 12 against the Falcons and is understandably frustrated.
“It’s football,” Little said. “There’s going to be ups and downs, so just keep pushing – that’s what I live by.”
During the course of the season, Daryl Williams has seen action on many spots on the offensive line; the 27-year old has now spent time at all four positions on the line but center. Williams gives Panthers offensive line coach John Matsko credit for having him prepared to play so many roles.
“I just prepare, coach Matsko gets me ready during the week and I take my hat off to him,” Williams said. “At the end of the day, if you’re in there, you’ve gotta get the job done.”
Carolina’s injuries this season have been well documented. Former MVP Cam Newton hasn’t played since Week 2 and was placed on injured reserve earlier this month and defensive end Kawann Short, who suffered a partially torn rotator cuff against the Buccaneers in Week 2, is also on season-ending injured reserve.
At 5-6, Sunday’s loss put the Panthers under .500 for the first time since the Week 3. With a chance to take the lead late in the game, Panthers kicker Joey Slye missed a 28-yard field goal that would have given them the lead with under two minutes to play. Instead, the Saints marched down the field and kicked a 33-yard field goal of their own to win the game in regulation. As the Panthers will play their final five games of the season starting on December 1, it won’t help that they could be without Poe and Van Roten for an extended period of time – although this might open the door for younger players such as Daley and Vernon Butler to get even more playing time than they’ve already had.
Little said that as hard as the loss is, the Panthers will just need to put it behind them and focus on the Washington Redskins next week.
“We’ve got next Sunday to worry about,” Little said. “This game is over, coach says we get an hour or two to dwell on it and then we gotta get ready for next.”
