The Carolina Panthers could be down one of their best players on Sunday against the Houston Texans, as linebacker Luke Kuechly is listed as doubtful for Week 2 after sustaining a concussion. The Panthers are looking for Jonathan Stewart to start after dealing with a knee issue and he will likely be used a lot by Cam Newton on Sunday.
The Panthers started the season with a win against the Jacksonville Jaguars and the team is now facing off against the Texans. The Texans suffered a tough loss against the Chiefs and they have already made a quarterback change, as Ryan Mallett will start in Week 2. Losing Kuechly for any period of time is tough and the Panthers are hoping it's a short term issue. According to NFL.com, Kuechly is coming into the weekend as doubtful on the injury report and he did not practice with the team on Thursday.
Kuechly just signed a contract before the season that pays him big money and it comes as he has established himself as one of the premier defensive players in the league. Kuechly has put up at least 150 total tackles in his three seasons in the league and he also has seven interceptions and six sacks in his career. The Panthers defense is a good unit, but having Kuechly on the sidelines is definitely an advantage for the Texans.
The Panthers have Jonathan Stewart on track to play on Sunday against the Texans, as he has been dealing with a knee issue but was able to practice. Stewart did not get too much done against the Jaguars, but he put up 56 yards on the ground and also added four catches for 25 yards in the win. Stewart was held out of practice earlier in the week, but it was not an issue with his knee and head coach Ron Rivera said that he would be fine for Week 2.
Stewart comes in as the lead back with DeAngelo Williams now gone and he has been a fairly productive player for the team when he is healthy. Last season Stewart missed three games and he finished the year with 809 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. Newton comes in after putting up 175 passing yards and one touchdown against the Jaguars and he will be looking for a more efficient game against the Texans. Losing Kelvin Benjamin before the season really hit the offense and Newton ended up completing just 18 of 31 passes in the game against the Jags.
