Four ruled out before the Thursday kickoff
The Carolina Panthers will not have linebacker Jaelan Phillips when they visit the Green Bay Packers on Thursday. Phillips has a hamstring injury and has now been ruled out for a second straight game, after sitting out the 43-13 loss to Tampa Bay on Sunday.
He is not alone. Left guard Damien Lewis (knee) and cornerback Akayleb Evans (triceps, knee) are both starters and both are out. Reserve offensive lineman Torricelli Simpkins III (ankle) completes the list of players ruled out.
Defensive tackle Bobby Brown III is questionable with a hand injury. Kicker Ryan Fitzgerald was added to the report with an illness, though he carries no injury designation.
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Why the losses sting on both lines
Carolina arrive on a short week after a lopsided loss in Charlotte, where Tampa Bay’s ground game did most of the damage. Phillips has missed both games since the hamstring problem, so the defense has already been playing without him against the run, and the secondary is now thinner with Evans out too.
The offensive line takes a hit as well. Lewis starts at left guard, so a backup will step in on the road in a hostile building. Short-week trips leave little time to rehearse new combinations, which is why a late change at guard can matter more than the name suggests.
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