The Carolina Panthers are in a must-win situation in Week 15. They have their hands full against a Buffalo Bills team in a similar situation. In what is already a tough game, it seems Carolina's odds have decreased after Zane Gonzalez fell to injury during pregame. It might be a long day for this franchise.
According to Fox Sports, Zane Gonzalez appears to have injured his quad or hamstring and is ruled out. For that reason, the Panthers held tryouts with players on the roster to find a suitable kicker for the game. For a team already struggling, this might be a sign for Carolina to prepare for the offseason.
Update: Panthers K Zane Gonzalez suffered an injury during pregame warm ups and is now OUT.
Our crew breaks down how Carolina will handle the kicking situation in today's game. pic.twitter.com/rqC3hZ6j3e
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) December 19, 2021
The kicker is a very underappreciated position in football. For teams who have consistency in that position, as the Baltimore Ravens, life is easy whenever they go to the red zone. However, when a franchise is suffering from kicking woes, it causes unnecessary headaches for all involved. As a result, it sounds like the Panthers will be having their punter replace Gonzalez.
Before coming up with that decision, the Panthers held tryouts with some players on their roster. PJ Walker and Brandon Zylstra were included, attempting field goals and kickoffs. None of the attempts looked great in the video, so things aren't looking great for Carolina.
We'll see how this game plays out. The Bills are heavily favored as they're the better team all-around. Even so, the Panthers will put up a fight as they try to salvage their season. However, having unexpected kicker woes is not ideal for this franchise.
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