Panthers win at Falcons came at a cost: Four important players injured during the game
For nearly a minute, Panthers defensive end Brian Burns laid on the ground while trainers surrounded him. His teammates took a knee, and Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where the few fans that were in the stands, went silent.
Fortunately for the Panthers, Burns got up and walked off the field on his own power. But the moment was scary. Burns missed the rest of the game with a concussion.
Before his injury, he caused a sack-fumble, knocking the ball out of Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan’s hands in the second quarter.
Panthers’ safety Juston Burris nearly recovered it — and perhaps would have scored a touchdown on a scoop-and-score — but he bobbled the ball, and the Falcons fell on top of it. The sack, though, forced the Falcons into a third-and-long, which they couldn’t convert.
It’s unclear how long Burns will be out in concussion protocol. Panthers coach Matt Rhule said he wasn’t sure about Burns’ injury status. Nor was he aware of the injury status of defensive tackle Kawann Short, who suffered a shoulder injury in the second half.
Last season, Short missed all but two games with a shoulder injury, though it’s unclear which shoulder he injured Sunday.
Short has already been hobbled this season with a foot injury and missed Weeks 2 and 3 because of it and returned in Week 4 against the Cardinals.
But Burns and Short weren’t the only ones dinged up in the 23-16 victory. Rookie defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos injured his ankle, and No. 1 cornerback Donte Jackson re-injured his toe in the first quarter. He was carted to the locker room and didn’t return.
The injuries are extra concerning because the Panthers are already thin on the defensive line despite the team playing its best football of the season during this three-game winning streak.
Burns has arguably been the Panthers’ best defensive player this season with two sacks, two forced fumbles and 13 tackles through five games. Short is a key veteran. And Gross-Matos seemed to be finally emerging as a threat, after a sack-fumble in a win against the Cardinals last week. It’s also a bad sign for a Panthers defense that struggled to generate any pressure in the first two games of the season.
Putting pressure on the quarterback is why the Panthers’ defense has been successful recently, especially against the Falcons. The Panthers sacked Ryan twice, and got constant pressure on the former MVP for the majority of the game.
Ryan completed only 56% of his passes and finished with 226 yards through the air. He didn’t have a touchdown, and threw one interception.
With the win, the Panthers are 3-2 and tied for first in the NFC South. The Panthers entered the game healthy, with only one player — cornerback Eli Apple — on the injury report.
Sunday, that changed.
“We don’t really know too much about Burns’ injury,” Panthers cornerback Rasul Douglas said after the game. “But we’ll probably find out in a little bit on the plane ride back.
“But of course, when our brother goes down, we all want to know what is going on, if he’s going to be OK, or go back in the game, or anything. But right now we don’t know.”
This story was originally published October 11, 2020 at 5:44 PM.
