While the Carolina Panthers had an amazing Sunday night in destroying the Arizona Cardinals 49-15 to win the NFC Championship, they did lose outside linebacker Thomas Davis in the second quarter due to a right arm injury.
After the game, Davis revealed that the arm is broken:
Thomas Davis confirms to reporters he suffered a broken right arm
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) January 25, 2016
However, Davis told FOX’s Terry Bradshaw that he plans to play in Super Bowl 50 against the Denver Broncos and “wouldn’t miss the Super Bowl for the world”:
“I believe in our training staff,” Davis said. “I’ll do everything in my power to be ready to go.” The linebacker also told Terry Bradshaw after the game, “I wouldn’t miss the Super Bowl for the world. We’ve worked too hard to get to this point.”
Carolina head coach Ron Rivera also showed confidence in his veteran’s availability for the big game.
“He told me he’s going to be ready, so we’ll see,” Rivera added. “But knowing him, I don’t doubt a word he says. He says he’s going to be ready, I know he’ll be ready.”
Now, we’re talking a broken arm here, with the Super Bowl just two weeks away, and Davis is going to need medical clearance to play even if he wants to. But if it’s simply a pain tolerance issue, expect Davis to at least try to play (likely with a cast of course).
#Panthers LB Thomas Davis confirms to reporters that his right forearm is broken. If it’s a pain tolerance issue, he said “I’ll be there.” — Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 25, 2016
Overcoming injuries is certainly not a new concept to Davis. In fact, he’s the only player in NFL history to still be playing after suffering a torn ACL three times.
Thomas Davis’ explosiveness is incredible, especially considering he’s only player in #NFL history playing after three ACL surgeries — Ed Werder (@Edwerderespn) January 25, 2016
And not only is the 32-year-old still playing after three ACL surgeries, but he’s playing at arguably the highest level of his career. Davis had 105 tackles, 5.5 sacks, four interceptions and four forced fumbles in the regular season. The 11-year veteran was named to the All-Pro team for the first time and to the Pro Bowl for the first time.
Even though Davis exited Sunday night’s game before halftime, he still was credited with six tackles, including this one where he blew up the Cardinals’ running play in the backfield and put a vicious hit on David Johnson:
Basically the Clowney hit without the helmet popping off #HitStick https://t.co/dJvacwaco9 — Pick Six Previews (@PickSixPreviews) January 25, 2016
The Panthers’ linebacking corps with that guy alongside Luke Kuechly is lethal, and they certainly hope he’s able to go against the Broncos. Even though Davis would obviously be well less than 100%, he’s the leader of the Carolina defense and his presence is highly valuable. If the fractured arm prevents Davis from being able to play, rookie linebacker Shaq Thompson (1st rounder out of Washington) would move into the starting lineup.
[NFL.Com]
