No structural damage on Kelvin Benjamin’s knee

In a little bit of good news following the Carolina Panthers loss to the New Orleans Saints, it seems that Kelvin Benjamin’s injury is not as serious as it appeared.

Benjamin was hurt on a tackle from behind early in the game where he came down awkwardly on his legs, stretching the surgically repaired knee and hamstring far beyond its usual range of motion. Benjamin was helped off the field and after testing his leg a bit, he ended up on the training table with it wrapped in ice and was visually distressed. In the end now it seems that he got a bit spooked (justifiably so) and is going to be alright.

Rivera did not give an update on his status as it pertains to practicing this week, or playing against the New England Patriots. He also was non-committal when asked about Ryan Kalil:

As of right now, the Panthers need to hope that at least Ryan Kalil can suit up and play against the Patriots, as disorganization along the offensive line has resulted in Cam Newton taking a pounding for two straight weeks.