It just keeps getting worse for Frank Reich and the 0-3 Carolina Panthers. Carolina's secondary received another crushing blow after starting safety Xavier Woods sustained a hamstring injury. Woods will sit out approximately four to six weeks, per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.
#Panthers starting safety Xavier Woods expected to miss extended time with a hamstring injury, per sources. One source said the absence could be 4-6 weeks.
That marks two key Panthers defensive backs set to miss time, Woods and Jaycee Horn. pic.twitter.com/PXR51LLH5l
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) September 26, 2023
Xavier Woods injured his hamstring in Carolina's 37-27 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 3. Prior to the injury, Woods had 11 tackles and two passes defensed.
Ironically, Panthers cornerback Jaycee Horn is also out with a hamstring injury. Horn apparently hurt his hamstring during their Week 1 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
Panthers head coach Frank Reich said Horn's prognosis for his hamstring issue was grim.
“It is a serious hamstring injury. He's gonna be out for a while, for an extended period of time…it's just one of those freak injuries. You just never know. You just never know. And he knew right away. I could tell as soon as I got out there. He kinda felt it pop,” Reich said.
The Panthers' string of bad luck continued after they lost starting linebacker Shaq Thompson to a season-ending leg injury in Week 2. Another starting linebacker, Frankie Luvu, sat out the second half of the Seahawks game with a hip issue. To make matters worse, Carolina cornerback CJ Henderson injured his ankle in the first half.
Consequently, the Seahawks took advantage of a battered and bruised Carolina team. They outscored the Panthers 25-14 in the second half.
The Panthers face a gargantuan challenge without Xavier Woods. They will square off against Kirk Cousins, Justin Jefferson, and the Minnesota Vikings in Week 4. Reich must figure out a way for the Panthers' decimated secondary to stifle the Vikings' second-ranked passing attack (339.7 passing yards per game).
That will be a tall order for the injury-ravaged Panthers without guys like Xavier Woods and Jaycee Horn.
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