Today would be a particularly bad time for the Carolina Panthers to be without its major players on defense. Unfortunately, that’ll be the case on a few levels—as four of the starters they came into the season with will not be in uniform against the dynamic Miami Dolphins.
But, at least they seem likely to have their two most prized presences at their disposal.
According to ESPN senior NFL reporter Jermey Fowler, outside linebacker Brian Burns (ankle) and defensive tackle Derrick Brown (ankle/knee) are expected to play in the team’s Week 6 matchup in South Beach. Both standout defenders were listed as questionable on the final injury report heading into the weekend.
Burns leads the Panthers in sacks (4.0) and tackles for a loss (five) while Brown is currently playing on a career-high pace, having appeared in approximately 88 percent of the defense’s snaps. They’ll certainly be needed against the Dolphins, who lead the league (by a very wide margin) in total yards per contest (513.6).
Carolina will be down linebacker Shaq Thompson, who is likely to miss the remainder of the season with a broken fibula, as well as three starting defensive backs in cornerback Jaycee Horn and safeties Vonn Bell and Xavier Woods.
