Top receiver Adam Thielen hurts hamstring on electrifying Carolina Panthers TD catch
The Carolina Panthers’ final offensive play of Sunday’s first half against the Las Vegas Raiders might turn out to have big implications — and not all for good reasons.
Following the Panthers’ 36-22 win, head coach Dave Canales confirmed that veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen sustained a hamstring injury. The team’s top receiver prior to Sunday didn’t play in the second half because of it.
Thielen exited the game after making one of the plays of the season. With 33 seconds left in the first half, quarterback Andy Dalton connected with Thielen for a 31-yard touchdown — one that featured Thielen diving for the ball as multiple Raiders defenders closed in on him. The catch was electrifying and gave the Panthers a two-touchdown lead heading into halftime — the first halftime lead of any sort the Panthers have had since Week 10 of the 2023 season.
But the celebration for the catch was dampened quickly after Thielen got up slowly from the play, clutching his leg. The 34-year-old receiver eventually walked to the sideline under his own power — with his helmet off and with a heavy, grimacing limp — before being accompanied to the locker room.
At halftime, he was designated as questionable to return with a hamstring injury, according to the team. He was later downgraded to out for the game.
Thielen, who finished Sunday with three catches for 40 yards and a touchdown, is the team’s second-leading receiver in 2024 — only behind Diontae Johnson after Johnson’s huge eight-catch, 122-yard, one-touchdown day on Sunday.
Thielen is coming off a 1,000-plus yard season in 2023 — the only Panthers receiver to do so that year.
As is typical, Thielen is expected to get an MRI on Monday.
“Yeah, just trying to figure it out,” Thielen said postgame when asked about his hamstring. “Don’t know a lot right now. I’ve had a little bit of experience with this, so hopefully back pretty quickly.”
In other Panthers injury news ...
Starting safety Jordan Fuller also sustained a hamstring injury, according to the team. Cornerback Lonnie Johnson (groin) and offensive lineman Damien Lewis (elbow) also showed up on the team’s injury report and will be evaluated further on Monday.
This story was originally published September 22, 2024 at 6:07 PM.
