Luke Kuechly diagnosed with a concussion

Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly was carted off the field during a Week 11 game against the New Orleans Saints and head coach Ron Rivera later confirmed that he suffered a concussion from the hit.

Kuechly suffered a concussion in Week 1 of the 2015 season that caused him to sit out games for the first time in his career. He returned after sitting out three games, earning All-Pro honors for the third consecutive season, but the gravity of another injury was clear on Kuechly’s face Thursday.

While the linebacker was able to get to his feet and sit on the medical cart under his own power, he was emotional and inconsolable.

The Panthers said during the game that he was going to be evaluated for a concussion and that was confirmed as the injury on Friday when Rivera said the linebacker is in the concussion protocol. If Kuechly misses time for the Panthers, it’d be a tremendous blow for a team that can’t take many.

Carolina improved to 4-6 with the win, but needs every victory it can get if it has any hope of tracking down the Atlanta Falcons or earning an NFC wild card berth. Four of the last six games of the year for the Panthers are on the road, although one of the home games is against the Falcons.

But it seems likely that Kuechly will be forced to sit given his recent history with concussions and the seemingly serious effects it had on the linebacker Thursday. If he’s out of the lineup, the Panthers will turn to A.J. Klein, a fourth-year linebacker with 17 career starts in Carolina, to fill the gap.