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The Carolina Panthers preemptively ruled out two players ahead of their Week 17 regular season finale against the New Orleans Saints: wide receiver D.J. Moore and linebacker Shaq Thompson. Additionally, Panthers cornerback Corn Elder and linebacker/defensive end Marquis Haynes are questionable to play. Elder is battling an illness, while Haynes is dealing with a knee injury. This injury news was first reported by the Charlotte Observer’s Alaina Getzenberg.
Moore, who has been sidelined by a concussion, is an especially significant loss considering the success he had against the Saints in their last meeting. He caught six passes to gain 126 receiving yards, including two long touchdown catches, feasting against a New Orleans secondary that was overmatched without top cornerback Marshon Lattimore. Though Lattimore is back in the saddle and playing well, Moore would have expected to run against the same cornerback he fried last time (P.J. Williams, likely starting in place of Eli Apple).
Thompson is another big loss. He signed a four-year, $54.2 million contract extension (with bonuses raising its value to as high as $57 million) just three weeks ago, but he won’t be able to play against the Saints after sustaining late-season foot and shoulder injuries. Without him in the lineup, things could project well for Saints running back Alvin Kamara to continue building on the momentum he gained in last week’s big win over the Tennessee Titans — Kamara finally looked like his old self, running for 80 yards (and scoring twice) while catching six of his seven targets for 30 yards through the air.
We’ll learn more when the Saints and Panthers release their final injury report later on Friday. For now, it looks like the Saints are getting healthier, while the Panthers are getting close to throwing in the towel.
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