The Panthers have had as much bad luck with injuries as any NFL team this year. Now that rookie running back Jordan Scarlett has been placed on injured reserve, 12 players have been on that list this season.
At this time of year every team is banged up though. That includes today’s opponent, who will be missing two key players.
According to a report by Adam Schefter at ESPN, the Redskins won’t have outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan or wide receiver Paul Richardson available for Sunday’s matchup.
This is news because until now Kerrigan has never missed a game in his career. He suffered a concussion in last week’s win over the Lions.
It’s a significant loss as Kerrigan is Washington’s best edge rusher and one of the most underrated in the league. He has 4.5 sacks this season, bringing his career total to 89. The guy who will benefit most from Kerrigan’s absence is right tackle Taylor Moton, who has become Carolina’s most consistent offensive lineman.
As for Richardson (who is dealing with a hamstring injury), his speed makes him the Redskins’ best deep threat receiver – not that Dwayne Haskins is really capable of taking advantage of that as of yet.
Donte Jackson would have been tasked with slowing him down. With James Bradberry taking on Terry McLaurin, Jackson will matchup with the likes of rookie Kelvin Harmon, who played college ball at NC State. Harmon can’t compete with Jackson for pure game speed, but his size (6-foot-2, 215 pounds) could present a challenge.
