Panthers' Dave Canales provides encouraging Ja'Tavion Sanders injury update

The rookie tight end suffered a frightening neck injury during the Panthers' Week 12 loss to the Chiefs.

The Carolina Panthers went toe-to-toe with the Kansas City Chiefs in a surprisingly suspenseful Week 12 matchup. Ultimately, the Chiefs thwarted Carolina’s fourth-quarter comeback, improving to 10-1 on the season. While the Panthers showed signs of improvement, the team lost Ja'Tavion Sanders to a frightening injury during the game. Fortunately, Carolina received positive news about the rookie tight end on Monday.

Panthers’ head coach Dave Canales told reporters that Sanders managed to avoid a serious injury, according to The Charlotte Observer’s Mike Kaye on X. Sanders suffered a neck injury on Sunday but was at the team’s facility on Monday as Carolina’s medical staff works on further evaluation of the first-year player.

After making a catch and turning upfield in the second quarter, Sanders got upended by Chiefs’ cornerback Trent McDuffie. The young tight end went airborne and landed directly on his head. The team’s training staff attended to Sanders, placing him on a board and carting him off the field. He was taken to a local hospital but released later that afternoon.

Sanders was a big contributor to the Panthers’ offense in the first half. He hauled in three receptions for 49 yards before being ruled out for the remainder of the game in the second quarter.

Panthers’ rookie Ja'Tavion Sanders avoided a serious injury Sunday

Carolina selected Sanders in the fourth round of the 2024 draft. After a slow start to the season, he started showing signs of the potential that made him such a promising prospect coming out of Texas. Sanders has produced at least 49 receiving yards or a touchdown in five of his last six games. On the season, he has 29 catches for 302 yards and one touchdown.

The Panthers' entire offense has improved since turning back to Bryce Young in Week 8. Young was benched just two weeks into the season for veteran QB Andy Dalton. But Carolina was forced to start Young again after Dalton was injured. Despite falling to 3-8 after the Week 12 loss, the Panthers are 2-2 since Young regained the starting job.

Young nearly pulled off a remarkable comeback against the Chiefs. He led Carolina on a five-play, 49-yard touchdown drive and tied the game on a successful two-point conversion with 1:46 remaining. Of course, that’s still plenty of time for Patrick Mahomes to do his thing. The two-time MVP directed a seven-play, 57-yard drive, setting up Spencer Shrader for the game-winning field goal as time expired.

The loss ended the Panthers’ two-game winning streak but Canales was impressed by Young’s performance, enthusiastically endorsing the second-year passer as the starter for Week 13. Carolina will take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home next Sunday.