CHARLOTTE – Wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin avoided structural damage to his surgically repaired left knee on an awkward tackle to the ground that ended his day early in Sunday's loss to the Saints, but his status for the Panthers' Week 4 trip to New England is up in the air.

"He got an MRI last night, and it came back pretty good. We'll see how his treatment goes," head coach Ron Rivera said Monday. "They told me that it had all come out negative and there was nothing structurally wrong, which was good news because it was his repaired knee."

Benjamin's left leg got caught underneath his body as he was tackled on a catch to end the first quarter. He did not return. Benjamin missed the entire 2015 season after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in training camp.

Rivera said that center Ryan Kalil, who missed his second consecutive game Sunday with a neck injury, is showing improvement.

"Obviously he was inactive, but he is doing a lot better," Rivera said. "I know they've got him working, doing whatever they need to. But again I don't want to get into predicting timeframes."

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