Wide receiver Terrace Marshall led the Panthers with nine catches in their Week Four loss to the Vikings, but that didn’t help him earn any playing time in Week Five.
Marshall did not play a single snap in Carolina’s 42-24 loss to the Lions on Sunday. He had played at least 22 offensive snaps in each of the team’s first four games and he said on Monday that it was a surprise to spend all of Sunday on the bench.
“I have no clue why I didn’t play,” Marshall said, via Alex Zietlow of the Charlotte Observer. “It was surprising. I didn’t expect to sit out the whole game. It just happened.”
Jonathan Mingo returned to the lineup after missing Week Four, which led to roles changing against Detroit but head coach Frank Reich said that Marshall still should have played and that it was “poor communication by me” because he feels Marshall has played well enough to continue having a place in the offense. Reich will have a chance to make that happen in Miami this week.