Carolina Panthers kicker Zane Gonzalez. Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Panthers lose kicker Zane Gonzalez to quad injury suffered in warmups

By Adam Stites | Last updated 12/19/21

The Carolina Panthers will be without a kicker for a Week 15 game against the Buffalo Bills after Zane Gonzalez suffered a right quad injury in warmups.

Gonzalez, 26, was helped off the field by trainers a little over an hour before kickoff. According to Darin Gantt of Panthers.com, the likely replacement for Gonzalez will be punter Lachlan Edwards, although backup quarterback P.J. Walker has some experience kicking.

Several Panthers players were seen warming up for the possibility that they'd be asked to kick.

A multitude of Panthers attempting to kick the ball is pretty hilarious pic.twitter.com/Qof9RWHiHT
— Billy M (@BillyM_91) December 19, 2021

Despite losing three straight and eight of their last 10, the 5-8 Panthers are still not out of postseason contention. Just six teams in the NFC have winning records and the 6-7 Washington Football Team is currently in position to earn the final wild card berth in the conference.

Gonzalez has been a reliable player for the Panthers in 2021. He's made all 17 of his field goals inside 50 yards and three of his five tries from beyond that distance. Gonzalez is one of eight kickers in the NFL who has made more than 90 percent of his field goal attempts this season.

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