Carolina Panthers defensive end Jared Allen continued to play in the Panthers' dramatic win over the Seattle Seahawks in Divisional play on Sunday, after suffering what was assumed to be a broken bone in his foot during the game. Allen said following the game that he expected to be physically able to face the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC Championship, but Panthers head coach Ron Rivera ruled the defensive end out on Friday.
Jared Allen will not play in NFC Championship due to foot injury
Jared Allen wanted to play through a broken bone in his foot against the Cardinals in the NFC Championship this Sunday, but was ruled out on Friday.
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Jeanna Kelley has been covering the Falcons for The Falcoholic since 2011 and the NFL for SB Nation since 2015.
Testing on Monday to determine the severity of the injury revealed that the damage was not too great to immediately scratch Allen. He attempted to be prepared to play, but couldn’t quite get there. At age 33, Allen’s career is winding down, and this may be his last shot at a Super Bowl ring.
Allen was acquired by the Panthers from the Chicago Bears via trade in September, and since that time has two sacks and two pass deflections for Carolina. Allen is considering offseason surgery to repair a ruptured disk he suffered during the 2014 season, according to Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer.
With one year and $8.5 million remaining on his contract, Allen’s future with the Panthers is uncertain beyond this postseason. However, the five-time Pro Bowler and 12-year NFL veteran may finally get the opportunity to play in a Super Bowl should Carolina prevail on Sunday.
The Panthers will host the Cardinals on Sunday evening with a trip to Super Bowl 50 on the line. The Cardinals are coming off of a thrilling overtime Divisional victory over the Green Bay Packers. The Cardinals last faced the Panthers in Carolina in the Wild Card round following the 2014 season. The Panthers prevailed, beating the Ryan Lindley-led Cardinals 27-16, but they face a very different Arizona team this time around.
In the Divisional win over Green Bay, Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer threw for 349 yards and three touchdowns. Veteran receiver Larry Fitzgerald had 176 receiving yards and one very dramatic touchdown in overtime to secure the win.
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