Luke Kuechly will miss the first game of his career on Sunday when the Carolina Panthers play host to the Houston Texans on Sunday due to a concussion suffered against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 1, according to Will Brinson of CBS Sports.
Luke Kuechly out vs. Texans with head injury
A.J. Klein is expected to start for Luke Kuechly, who will miss a game for the first time in his NFL career.
Phil Sears-USA TODAY Sports
Prior to the injury, Kuechly started and played in each of the first 49 games of his career, in addition to three postseason games. He was injured when he collided with Jaguars running back T.J. Yeldon. Kuechly left the game in the second quarter and didn't return. He was listed as doubtful on Friday after missing practice all week, but was officially ruled out on Saturday.
The Panthers defense did just fine in Kuechly's absence, shutting out the Jaguars offense in the second half en route to a 20-9 victory. A.J. Klein stepped in to the void and finished with six tackles, and is expected to make the start in Kuechly's absence.
Kuechly signed a five-year, $62 million extension with the Panthers last week just before the beginning of the regular season making him the NFL’s highest-paid inside linebacker. A first-round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, Kuechly earned Defensive Rookie of the Year honors, then followed it by winning the Defensive Player of the Year in 2013 and earning back-to-back First-Team All-Pro nods.
Prior to leaving in Week 1, Kuechly racked up seven tackles and a sack. He has seven sacks, seven interceptions and 480 tackles in his career.
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