The Carolina Panthers were completely dominant in their Week 2 game against the Atlanta Falcons, blowing out their NFC South rivals with ruthless efficiency. Unfortunately, an injury concern to running back Jonathon Brooks put a damper on things.
Brooks was seen leaving the field with trainers in the fourth quarter with a towel on his head. Medical staff checked him in the blue tent and took him into the locker room for further assessment. Given the issues he's had in recent years, the concerns are obvious.
Everyone associated with the Panthers will be hoping for good news. Because the last thing Brooks needs is another spell on the sidelines.
Jonathon Brooks' groin injury cast a cloud on Carolina Panthers' dominant win
The Panthers believed enough in Brooks to trade up and take him at No. 46 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, despite the fact that he was coming off a torn ACL from his time with the Texas Longhorns. Just a few games into his return, he tore the same ACL in the same knee and missed the entire 2025 campaign.
Things were looking up for Brooks this summer. He missed some time with general soreness, but otherwise it looked promising. The dual-threat scored in the preseason and didn't look to have lost any explosiveness. But now, another setback may have arrived.
Head coach Dave Canales confirmed after the game that Brooks had reaggravated a groin injury. More information will be available in the coming days, but if anyone deserves a little luck, it's him.
Carolina cannot afford for Brooks to become so injury-prone. It's been one setback after another, and even though the Panthers have been bringing him along gradually behind Chuba Hubbard, not having him available would be a bitter pill to swallow.
Brooks' talent has never been in question. He is a dynamic runner, a sure-handed pass-catcher out of the backfield, and an underrated blocker. But the towel over the head is rarely a good sign when a player goes back to the locker room.
Time will tell, and it's a wait-and-see scenario. There will always be a sense of trepidation whenever Brooks gets hurt, given how his career has unfolded so far. But everyone will be monitoring his groin complication closely.
The Panthers need Brooks. He was finally starting to stack some much-needed wins, so any stumbling block at this stage would be disappointing. But with Carolina completely overwhelming the Falcons in all phases, the coaching and medical staff may have just been overly cautious with the third-year pro.
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