The Sports Xchange

CHARLOTTE, N. C. — The Carolina Panthers were using a “by committee” approach since top wideout Kelvin Benjamin was lost for the season in training camp.

Now they may need a subcommittee.

Receiver Jerricho Cotchery sustained a high ankle sprain in Sunday’s win over the Houston Texans, coach Ron Rivera said Monday.

Cotchery was injured midway through the first quarter when tight end Ed Dickson fell on the back of his leg as he was blocking for receiver Philly Brown.

Cotchery couldn’t put any weight on his right foot when trainers helped him off the field, and he was eventually carted into the locker room. He made a surprising return early in the second quarter, but it was short-lived.

“He came back and played on it, then it got stiff, so we sat him down,” Rivera said. “If we had gotten into an emergency situation, he might have been able to come back. But at that point we just sat him down.”

Cotchery, who led Panthers’ receivers with four receptions in Week 1, finished Sunday with one catch for 11 yards in 11 snaps.

High ankle sprains usually cost players multiple games. If Cotchery can’t play against the Saints in Week 3, Devin Funchess and Kevin Norwood may see an uptick in snaps and Carolina could promote Brenton Bersin from the practice squad.

“I don’t make the final call, but (Bersin) has done that in the past and has played that position in the past,” offensive coordinator Mike Shula said.

Cotchery has been remarkably durable in his 12-year career, playing in all but 15 of 178 games. The only game he missed since 2013 was when a hamstring kept him from facing his former teammates with the Steelers in Week 3 last year.

So while the latest Panthers’ injury could cost them another wideout for multiple games, the team has some hope Cotchery could face the Saints.

“The high ankle sprain does tend to linger,” Rivera said. “But just the fact that he was able to come back and play on it like he did before it got stiff, the doctors feel that hopefully he’ll be ready to go this weekend.”

The receiving corps on Sunday followed a similar path it took during the season-opening win in Jacksonville. After some early drops, the receivers settled down against the Texans to make just enough plays.

“We have some young guys out there, some young guys that are starting to play an awful lot of football and they are going to make some mistakes and miss some,” Rivera said.

“But the biggest thing more so than anything else is we went up to Ted Ginn again and said: “Hey, we believe in you, you are going to get your chance, we know it’s coming.'”

Ginn is 30 and in his ninth season, so the young guy excuse doesn’t work for him. But in his 18 games with the Panthers, he’s scored six receiving touchdowns.

That’s as many as he had in 104 games with the Dolphins, 49ers and Cardinals.

“I think that it’s about confidence. The confidence that (quarterback Cam Newton) has in me and as long as I keep going out and showing it, he builds on it more and more every week,” Ginn said.

The Panthers are also hoping they will have linebacker Luke Kuechly this weekend, but it’s still too early to tell.

When asked if he expects Kuechly to participate in non-contract drills when the Panthers return to practice on Wednesday, Rivera said:

“Yes, but he still has to go through the protocol because he hasn’t seen the independent as of yet.”

Kuechly watched Sunday’s win from inside the stadium. According to defensive coordinator Sean McDermott, his vantage point was from the training room.

“He wants to be out there, but we come in at halftime and he’s there with the guys and what a great picture that was,” McDermott said. “He’s getting guys fired up and they’re responding. It’s leadership, it’s peer driven leadership. It’s a great quality.”

REPORT CARD VS. TEXANS

PASSING OFFENSE: B — Quarterback Cam Newton had a 71.3 passer rating for the second straight week, but both have been in wins. After a bad drop early, wide receiver Ted Ginn rebounded with a touchdown catch on his next target. Wide receiver Philly Brown also bounced back from a drop-filled preseason with a score. Newton was sacked twice by the tough Texans’ defense.

RUSHING OFFENSE: B-minus — Quarterback Cam Newton led all rushers with 76 yards, but Carolina’s backs had trouble finding room. Jonathan Stewart picked up just 62 yards on 17 carries as defenses continue to stack the box against an offense that doesn’t have dynamic receivers.

PASS DEFENSE: B-plus — Texans quarterback Ryan Mallett attempted 58 passes, the second-most all-time against the Panthers. He completed only 27 attempts, with a touchdown and an interception. CB Josh Norman limited wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to five receptions and 53 yards on 11 targets.

RUSH DEFENSE: A — Even without linebacker Luke Kuechly and defensive tackle Star Lotulelei, the Panthers had no problem shutting down the Texans’ anemic run game. Starting running back Alfred Blue finished with six yards, as many as quarterback Ryan Mallett.

SPECIAL TEAMS: B — Punter Brad Nortman booted four of his seven punts 60 or more yards, but kicker Graham Gano had a field goal blocked for a second straight week. Punt returner Ted Ginn had a decent average of 11 yards on four returns.

COACHING: A-minus — The Panthers faced questions all week about stopping defensive end J.J. Watt and the scary Texans defense. They were able to contain Watt to five tackles and a sack with a smart game plan that utilized quarterback Cam Newton’s versatility. Betting quarterback Ryan Mallett couldn’t do it by himself, defensive coordinator Sean McDermott made sure Houston was one-dimensional.