Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olsen is one of the toughest players in the league. However, after today’s helmet-to-helmet hit he suffered against the Washington Redskins, Olsen was put in the concussion protocol and never returned to action.
Olsen injury – how it happened
On a seemingly simple pass on a 3rd and 10, with just over three minutes left in the third quarter, everything changed for Olsen and the Panthers offense.
Carolina quarterback Kyle Allen completed a short pass to Olsen and as he ran towards the first down marker, Olsen took a vicious helmet-to-helmet hit from Washington linebacker Ryan Anderson.
Ryan Anderosn hit on Greg Olsen. Helmet-to-helmet, looked like Olsen was knocked out. Anderson ejected. #Redskins pic.twitter.com/75zfnVOsVJ
— Mark Bullock (@MarkBullockNFL) December 1, 2019
The hit reportedly seemed to stun Olsen, knocking him out for a bit. Olsen was immediately evaluated by the Panthers staff and athletic trainers which resulted in quickly putting him into the NFL concussion protocol.
Carolina officially ruled Olsen out for the rest of the game.
The 34-year Olsen has played 13 seasons in the NFL, the first four with the Chicago Bears before heading to the Carolina Panthers in 2011 where he quickly became a household name.
Greg Olsen took a nasty shot to the head. #Redskins LB Ryan Anderson was ejected for the hit. Olsen went to the locker room. pic.twitter.com/qKO4gF3LwM
— NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) December 1, 2019
While Olsen has previously admitted toying with the idea of retiring, a hit like this could be the icing on the cake. Most great players never want to leave the game they love, but when they do finally walk away they want to do so in a healthy manner.
Playoff chances take a hit
The Panthers not only lost their best tight end today, but their odds of making the postseason also took a hit.
Carolina fell short against the lowly Redskins by the final score of 29-21. The loss now puts the Panthers’ record at 5-7 and knocked their odds to make the playoffs down to under 10-percent.
Not only will the Panthers have to win their remaining games to make a run at the Vince Lombardi Trophy, but they will also need a lot of help from other teams along the way.