The Carolina Panthers are in a difficult situation. They are 2-0 on the seasonand certainly, that is the start that the team wanted. However, neither of their wins would score high in terms of power rankings. For instance, Bleacher Report's Chris Simms offered his power rankings following Sunday and Carolina only ranked as a middle team at No. 17 despite their 2-0 record.
In recapping Carolina's results, last week they beat the San Francisco 49ers and in week 2 the Panthers beat the Buffalo Bills. The latter game was one that they won 9-3 in front of a home audience, a victory that did not include a major score.
The spread wasn't so convincing either given that they were playing one of the last favorites when it comes to Super Bowl odds. However, the terrible news following the game is the loss of Greg Olsen at a time when a tough patch of games approaches.
Preliminary report: Olsen out a month
According to the report from the Carolina Panthers' official Youtube account, Olsen will miss at least the next month. That would mean, minimally, missing the following games:
- September 24th: new orleans at Carolina
- October 1st: Carolina at New England
- October 8th: Carolina at Detroit
- October 12th: Philadelphia at Carolina
Olsen was asked about his injury in the post-game interviews. "I was just runnin' and I just planted my foot and I just felt it pop," Olsen explained.
"I knew somethin' was up. I thought maybe if I came off and kind of regrouped a little bit, but I just knew something wasn't right. You know, I came in and took an x-ray. Pretty straight forward. So, you know, disappointing obviously. I've always prided myself on being out there and playing but sometimes things are out of your control."
Teammates commented on Olsen
Cam Newton said he felt "tormented" over the injury, but that he felt "optimism" knowing that the Panthers would get him back later this season.
Ed Dickson also commented on the injury and stated that the Panthers wouldn't really be able to replace Olsen as he is a Pro Bowl player. However, Dickson also reflected that injuries were a part of football. That being true, some injuries are more serious than others and the Panthers did lose a key player as opposed to a peripheral one.
New Orleans, Carolina's next opponent, might not be all the good this season. The Saints are 0-2 and even though Drew Brees is doing his thing for passing yards the Saints are losing shootouts. Minnesota posted 29 and New England scored 36 so there really isn't a strong defensive performance yet. Carolina, hosting New Orleans, can feel good about their chances next weekend.
New England and Detroit could be really difficult road games in the early fall. Furthermore the October-12th game against Philly promises to be challenging as well. After that the schedules looks to soften up with the Chicago Bears to follow in late October. That's a game where Olsen might be back, if the current updates are taken at face value.
Of course when it comes to injuries there is always the possibility that further updates lengthen the missing time.
What goal should the Panthers have without Olsen?
New England and Detroit could be really difficult road games in the early fall. Furthermore, the October-12th game against Philly promises to be challenging as well. After that, the schedules look to soften up with the Chicago Bears to follow in late October.
That's a game where Olsen might be back if the current updates are taken at face value. Of course, when it comes to injuries there is always the possibility that further updates lengthen the missing time. the NFL's post-season, especially if Olsen comes back healthy.
