The Carolina Panthers might have the best record in the NFL, but the team has yet to lock up home-field advantage for the playoffs. The loss to the Atlanta Falcons did not help the cause as the team suffered their first defeat of the season. Now they cannot afford to rest starters against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers while injuries continue to hit the run game.
According to NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport, Whittaker is expected to miss the Panthers' regular-season finale after suffering a high-ankle sprain against the Atlanta Falcons. The running back had to be carted off the field after suffering the injury while being placed in a protective boot following the matchup. That is a big hit to the Panthers who have already been playing without Jonathan Stewart.
ESPN's Ed Werder reports that the Panthers are hopeful Stewart is able to return for Week 17 play. The leading rusher for Carolina has been out the past two weeks due to a foot injury. Werder reports Stewart has been running on the treadmill and hopes to practice Wednesday with a return on Sunday in mind. The Panthers would likely want to rest Stewart until the postseason, but the injury to Whittaker means the team needs the leading rusher back. An upset loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would mean Carolina falls to being the No.2 seed and would not secure home-field advantage for the playoffs. If both running backs were to miss Week 17, the starting job would go to Cameron Artis-Payne and fullback Mike Tolbert.
The plan to keep the roster healthy is not working for the Panthers at the moment. Ted Ginn Jr took a shot the knee against the Falcons. According to David Newton of ESPN.com, Ginn expects to be fine and practice during the week which is good news for Panthers' fans considering he has been a star this year in place of the injured Kelvin Benjamin. The main goal for the Panthers is to try and stay healthy heading into the playoffs. Head coach Ron Rivera noted that he will not be resting anyone on Sunday as the Panthers still have plenty to play for. Rivera noted that players told him they want to be on the field in order to not get rusty.
"At the time it seemed like a great idea. We all agreed and thought it would be good," Rivera said, via the Charlotte Observer. "But after the game and listening to what the players had to say, guys (were) talking about, 'A little rusty, I wished we'd played a little bit more.' Because we had the bye week, too. So just listening to that really just kind of reminded me, I've always kind of kept that in the back of my mind. This next game has value. After that, these are players. These guys want to play. Is there a fine line? There probably is. But it has to be decided. We get to the next game we'll decide that."