The Carolina Panthers have taken some heavy hits on the injury front lately. And if fans thought losing two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jaycee Horn was bad enough, things were about to get a lot worse.
The team confirmed that both Horn and Mike Jackson Sr. had been placed on injured reserve. Everyone knew it was a torn quad for the South Carolina product, but the Panthers' CB2 suffered a groin injury that was serious enough for an extended spell on the sidelines.
Now, the Panthers will be without arguably the NFL's best cornerback tandem for the foreseeable future.
Carolina Panthers' secondary is running on fumes without Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson Sr.
And for Jackson, this is a body blow to his chances of getting a lucrative contract extension with the club.
According to ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler, the Panthers are not expecting Jackson back until late November. That suggests a torn groin, which is nothing short of disastrous for a team already without one of the league's most prolific shutdown presences.
In all honesty, where the Panthers go from here is anyone's guess.
They are down to Akayleb Evans, Chau Smith-Wade, and fourth-round rookie Will Lee III on the active roster. Corey Thornton and Robert Rochell are on the practice squad. After that, there is almost nothing.
General manager Dan Morgan cannot sit on his hands here. The Panthers must be aggressive in filling the void. However, this tandem is almost irreplaceable at this stage of the campaign.
Horn and Jackson emerged as an elite pairing last season. Opposing offenses found it almost impossible to pass outside the numbers, and they started well this season, too.
Carolina Panthers' coaching staff must make adjustments without Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson Sr.
Unfortunately, both will be out of action until further notice.
And considering all the other injury problems Carolina is dealing with right now, head coach Dave Canales is fighting to keep things from going completely off the rails.
The timing of this news was never going to be nice. But for it to happen before Carolina's return to Sunday Night Football against a formidable Detroit Lions offense makes it truly gut-wrenching.
The Lions' defense, especially the secondary, might be going through some issues right now. But their offense is prolific, led by quarterback Jared Goff, running back Jahmyr Gibbs, wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, tight end Sam LaPorta, and offensive tackle Penei Sewell.
This was a difficult challenge for the Panthers, even with Horn and Jackson.
It's monumental now.
Canales and his staff must do their best with what they have. It won't be easy, but this is where the game plan and scheme become so important.
The Panthers don't have anyone who comes close to Horn or Jackson in their cornerback room. Even if they acquire a free agent or someone on a practice squad, they won't come in and provide All-Pro-caliber production.
This is all about adjusting, and the onus is on defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero to find the solutions required to keep treading water.
Easier said than done, but they have to successfully achieve this objective.
Their NFC South title defense might depend on it.
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