Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales. Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Dave Canales shares tough news after playoff loss to Rams

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Rex Villas | Last updated Jan 11, 2026 9:14 AM ET

The Carolina Panthers can start planning for their vacation after suffering a 34-31 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in an NFC wild-card round matchup at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., on Saturday.

However, at least one Panther will have to worry about his health first. Following the Panthers’ season-ending loss, Carolina head coach Dave Canales provided an update on left tackle Ikem Ekwonu, who went down with an injury in the first quarter of the Rams game.

Panthers head into offseason with injury to key offensive lineman

“Ickey’s got a knee injury,” Canales told reporters, via Anthony Rizzuti of Panthers Wire.

“We’ll give you more of an update. They gotta do all the MRIs and all that stuff. But I think it’s a significant injury, and something that we’ll have to go into the offseason with.”

Ekwonu was carted off the field after going down with an apparent lower-body injury while trying to block on a passing play.

Ikem Ekwonu was carted to the locker room pic.twitter.com/KM2yAlgFFn
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) January 10, 2026

The 25-year-old Ekwonu was among the top performers on the Panthers offensive line in the 2025 season. Pro Football Focus gave the North Carolina State product an overall grade of 69.8 and a 70.4 rating in run blocking.

Ekwonu’s injury also puts his future with the Panthers in question, as he doesn’t have a contract beyond the 2026 NFL season. Carolina, which selected Ekwonu sixth overall in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, picked up its $17.56 million option on him for the 2026 campaign.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: