Carolina Panthers Rule Out Two Key Players vs. Packers

The Carolina Panthers need to find a way to get a win here in Week 8. But it won't be easy. 

After their two-game win streak ended at the hands of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 7, the Panthers are back on the road. This week? They face off against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field in primetime. 

It's the second primetime game of the year for the Panthers, and as they sit at 3-3 overall through seven weeks, Carolina needs a win to guarantee a share of first place in the NFC South this week. The Panthers have a half game lead on Atlanta but do own the tiebreaker on the Falcons. 

Carolina was able to go into Lambeau Field last season and get a big road win, so it's not impossible to do. But this year, the task will be tougher due to some injuries.

On Wednesday, the Panthers released the injury report for the upcoming showdown in Green Bay as we are one day away. That report had some bad news as starting offensive guard Damien Lewis and starting pass rusher Jaelan Phillips have both been ruled out for Thursday night.

Below is the full injury report: 

OUT

QUESTIONABLE

The good news is that while Jalen Coker (Shoulder), Bryce Young (knee) and Ryan Fitzgerald (illness) were all on the injury report, they have no designation for the game and will play come Thursday night.

The loss of Lewis is a tough one. The Panthers had to place offensive tackle Taylor Moton on injured reserve with an ankle injury after the Week 7 loss to Tampa Bay. Now they are down two starting linemen for this game.

As for Phillips, he's been bothered by this hamstring injury which has cost him a few games now. He was one of the Panthers big free-agent pickups this offseason and added a big pass-rush option for them. Now, they will be down a few of their top pass rushers going into this game.

If the Panthers want to limit the Packers on offense, getting a consistent pass rush and hitting Jordan Love will be the key. But that's easier said than done and losing Phillips is a huge loss.

Carolina and Green Bay will kick off at 8:15 p.m ET on Amazon Prime.