Carolina Panthers have plenty of reasons to “Keep Pounding”
Injury Report Is Improving
The Carolina Panthers have battled injuries since training camp and only now are players beginning to regain their health and contribute on a consistent basis. Four of the five offensive lineman have missed significant time and second-year wide receiver Curtis Samuel has played just 15 snaps on offense all year.
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Tight end Greg Olsen was hurt in the season opener and just returned last week plus left tackle Matt Kalil is finally eligible for a return to practice. The offensive line has done considerably well having to shuffle players around and fill gaps from week to week and while his return may not indicate an immediate chance to start, he can at least provide some serviceable depth for a depleted unit.
Defensively, injuries led to the signing of Eric Reid who has only played two games with Carolina, creating reasons for optimism in the defensive secondary as this group builds a rapport with one another.
Thomas Davis missed the first four games of 2018 while serving a league imposed suspension and his return should aid in improving the defense as well.
Overall, if someone had said the Panthers would play without Davis, Olsen and four starting linemen at one point or another over the first six weeks while relying on three rookies to contribute (Moore, Ian Thomas and Donte Jackson), the expected results would have been far worse.
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Instead, Rivera and the Panthers are 3-2 with plenty of reasons to “Keep Pounding” into the future.