news-record.com

CHARLOTTE -- An MRI examination on Dan Connor's left knee Monday revealed the news that the rookie linebacker and the Panthers feared most -- a torn anterior cruciate ligament that will end his season after three games.

Connor suffered the injury during Sunday's 20-10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Minneapolis and will be placed on the injured reserve list. He had played on special teams in all three of Carolina's regular-season games and was tied for the team lead with four special-teams tackles, including a solo stop on Minnesota kickoff returner Chester Taylor during the first quarter Sunday.

Connor, who was one of the Panthers' two third-round draft choices this year, opened his career with a strong preseason of work on special teams and at middle linebacker, making 19 tackles.

"I've never not started. It's different," Connor said in August. "But when you play at a level like this -- especially with a linebacking corps as deep as we (have) -- you're going to learn a lot as a backup. I'm just watching (Jon) Beason, watching Adam Seward at the middle, and Na'il Diggs -- you name it. There's so much talent up there. I'm trying to learn what I can."

UPON FURTHER REVIEW: While much was made of Panthers coach John Fox calling a timeout that wiped out Chris Harris' blocked field-goal attempt early in the fourth quarter Sunday, Fox said it appeared on film as if the Vikings had slowed as the whistle blew just before the block.

"I'm not sure we would have blocked it" if a timeout wasn't called, he said. "They might have paused. On tape it looks like they could have."

ANOTHER INJURY: Fox attached the "day-to-day" designator to DE Charles Johnson, who suffered a hamstring injury Sunday.