CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera appears to be leaning toward sitting Luke Kuechly for the second straight game since the Pro Bowl linebacker was cleared from the concussion protocol.
Kuechly did not play in Monday night’s win at Washington despite being cleared from the protocol two days earlier.
Rivera said on Friday that “nothing’s changed" as Carolina (6-8) prepares for Saturday’s home finale against Atlanta. He maintained that he would continue to err on the side of caution.
He also said the comments quarterback Cam Newton made on Thursday -- that there is no need to risk Kuechly’s long-term health over the final two weeks -- was a "helluva message."
An official announcement on Kuechly’s status for the Falcons game won’t be made until Saturday.
Meanwhile, defensive end Charles Johnson will start against Atlanta after missing the previous two games with a hamstring injury. Pro Bowl tight end Greg Olsen, who missed practice earlier in the week with an elbow injury, also is good to go.
Olsen needs eight receiving yards to become the first tight end in NFL history to have three consecutive seasons with 1,000 receiving yards.
The only player ruled out is defensive end Ryan Delaire (knee).
Rivera said the final decision on Kuechly will be announced after he talks with general manager Dave Gettleman and Kuechly. He said the medical staff provided him with all the information he needed moving forward prior to the Washington game.
“He’ll lobby, but I’ve got to make sure at the end of the day when I sit down and talk to Dave we make the best decision moving forward," Rivera said of Kuechly.
Rivera added that Newton’s comments on Kuechly’s situation were "awesome."
The reigning NFL MVP said there is no need to jeopardize Kuechly’s long-term health to play the final two games when "our chances of making it to the playoffs is minimal."
“I think it’s awesome when you have teammates that are concerned about each other," Rivera said “It’s one of those things too where it shows a little confidence in us. It’s, ‘Hey, we’ve got this, Luke. We’ll take care of it,’ is really to me what he’s saying.
"I think it’s a helluva message. I really do."
