Panthers WR Benjamin has concussion

Oct 15, 2014 - 10:44 PM Charlotte, NC (SportsNetwork.com) - Rookie Carolina Panthers wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin missed practice Wednesday with what his coach called a "mild" concussion suffered in Sunday's game against Cincinnati.

The first-round draft pick appeared to suffer the concussion on a hit in the second quarter that drew an unnecessary roughness penalty on Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict, who was fined Wednesday for two other incidents during the game.

Benjamin, who has 416 receiving yards and four touchdowns in his first six NFL games, left the field briefly but returned after passing concussion tests on the sideline, Ron Rivera said Wednesday.

"That's the only reason he went back in the game," the Panthers coach said.

But Benjamin arrived at the team facility on Monday with "a little bit of a headache," according to Rivera, and was put in the NFL's concussion protocol. His status for Sunday's game at Green Bay is in doubt.

Starting Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams remained sidelined with an ankle injury that caused him to miss his second straight game, but Jonathan Stewart was a full participant in practice on Wednesday.

Stewart, who didn't practice fully at all last week, has missed the last three games with a knee sprain. Rivera said he "had a good day" taking the majority of reps at running back.

Burfict was reportedly fined $25,000 by the NFL for deliberately twisting the ankles of Panthers quarterback Cam Newton and tight end Greg Olsen after both scored touchdowns on Sunday.

The Pro Bowl linebacker was accused by the Panthers of targeting the players, who both have battled ankle injuries, and ESPN.com reported that Rivera sent tapes of the plays to the NFL.

Olsen, who missed practice Wednesday with his ankle injury, has said Burfict deserved more than a fine, possibly a suspension.

"Obviously when those things persist that might be the next step, so we'll see what happens," Rivera said.