CHARLOTTE – Of the injuries suffered by Panthers players in Sunday's loss to the Green Bay Packers, rookie guard Trai Turner's is the most severe, though head coach Ron Rivera categorized it as week-to-week.
Turner has a sprained left knee and sprained left ankle and will not play against the Seattle Seahawks.
Left tackle Byron Bell sustained an elbow bruise, and Rivera is hopeful he'll be able to play this week.
"The news on Byron was a lot better than we expected, thank goodness," Rivera said. "We'll see how he reacts on Wednesday. He just has to get that strength back and get that swelling down."
Wide receiver Philly Brown is in the concussion protocol, and linebacker Jason Williams (groin) will be re-evaluated on Wednesday.
There is a chance guard Amini Silatolu, who was inactive against the Packers with a calf strain, could return against Seattle.
"They are optimistic," Rivera said. "He has a great tolerance for pain, but we really won't know until Wednesday. He is going to work on the field, maybe."
Running back DeAngelo Williams, who has missed the last three games with a high ankle sprain, might also work out on the field Wednesday.
But it is unlikely that rookie cornerback Bene Benwikere, who is also dealing with an ankle injury, will be ready to participate this week.
"They weren't as optimistic as I'd like them to have been," Rivera said.
DISCIPLINE AN ISSUE: After reviewing the game tape, Rivera came away with the same conclusion as he did immediately following the 38-17 loss – the lack of discipline is a major issue.
"The undisciplined play," Rivera said, when asked what concerns him most. "Once it snowballed, we struggled to stop it. There are some things that are most certainly going to be corrected as we continue to look at this and break it down."
Said linebacker and team captain Thomas Davis: "We are flat-out not playing smart football right now."
Rivera said it's his responsibility to make sure Carolina's discipline problem is corrected. The Panthers were penalized nine times for 70 yards against Green Bay.
"There is something to this," Rivera said. "This is disappointing to be honest. You break it down – last week the disappointment was we had an opportunity to win and we didn't make the plays at the right time. This week, I think is more about things that happened that really shouldn't.
"I, as the head coach, have to address these things. That's on me 100 percent."
Rivera and defensive coordinator Sean McDermott said eliminating the mental mistakes starts in practice and it will continue to be a point of emphasis.
"We just have to continue to work it," Rivera said. "There are certain things that happen that you practice and if something like that happens, you stop and you start it all over again. You can't do that on the field (during the game), though. That's the problem."
Added McDermott: "It's how you do things on a daily basis. You do things the right way, you do things on time and that leads to being a disciplined football team. You hope that what you practice carries over to the game field. That didn't happen yesterday, and we've got to do a better job with that, no doubt."
POSITIVES IN RUN GAME: Running back Jonathan Stewart played for the first time since injuring his knee in Week 3 and finished with a team-high 55 yards on 14 carries against the Packers. He also caught a screen pass for 12 yards.
Rivera was pleased with how Stewart ran in his first game back.
"He graded out very well," Rivera said. "He ran the ball pretty good, made some cuts, made some big runs, caught the ball well out of the backfield. He did some nice things. Just coming back and playing as much as he did, he only had one mental error and one technique error.
"It was good to have him back. He brings a little something to us. I wish we could have had a little more success early on. That might have helped us get rolling."
Rivera was also impressed with the way rookie offensive linemen Andrew Norwell and David Foucault helped create room to run despite the game being out of reach.
"There were some really good things that went on," Rivera said. "They were in an eight-man box, and we got some big runs. There were a couple situations where we ran it really well.
"I thought Norwell came in and did some nice things. He's a physical guy. He made some pretty good plays and he was a lot of fun to watch. Foucault, getting an extended opportunity, handled that pretty well. He got beat a couple times, but you see the potential and you see the growth."
