Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly won’t play Saturday vs. the Falcons.
Kuechly cleared the NFL’s concussion protocol last weekend but didn’t play last Monday night at Washington and likely won’t play in next week’s season finale.
Kuechly suffered a concussion in Week 11. He’s said that he wants to play, but Panthers coach Ron Rivera has said that the team will be careful and keep Kuechly’s best long-term interests in mind.
Earlier this week, Panthers quarterback Cam Newton said this week that Kuechly “has a chance to be one of the best linebackers ever to play the game” and said he doesn’t want to see his teammate “jeopardize” anything by playing when the team doesn’t need him to.
