This one hurts for the Carolina Panthers.
Defensive tackle Star Lotulelei, a key cog of a Panthers defense that has come alive of late, stepped on the foot of a teammate at practice and is out indefinitely with a broken bone in hit foot. He will miss Saturday night's divisional round game against the Seattle Seahawks, according to Panthers head coach Ron Rivera.
"He broke a small bone in his foot and he had surgery this morning to repair it," Rivera said on a conference call with Seattle media, per ESPN.com. "It's one of those things that, hopefully we get the opportunity to move on and if we do, he'll get to play."
Rivera said Lotulelei could possibly play in the Super Bowl if the Panthers were to make it there.
It's a big blow, but the Panthers do have some depth up front. Colin Cole will assume Lotulelei's starting role, and the 13th-year veteran has taken that role before. Lotulelei missed two games earlier this season — both losses, but the Panthers' run defense was solid in both.
"[Cole has] been a solid and steady force for us, such a space-eater inside, holds the double team at the point of attack and helps to allow our linebackers to run," Rivera said.
Rivera said Kyle Love will be active for the game, and rookie defensive end Kony Ealy can kick down inside in passing situations. Ealy and Wes Horton have played well opposite Charles Johnson, who has played some of his best football of late this season, at end.
The Seahawks feature a potent ground attack — by far the NFL's best with 2,762 yards (172.6 per game) and 20 touchdowns on the ground.
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