ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The Panthers received some bad news in pregame warm-ups.
Kicker Zane Gonzalez was helped off the field and onto the locker room by long snapper J.J. Jansen and team staffers. He has been ruled out of the game with a right quad injury.
The Panthers now will likely be forced to use punter Lachlan Edwards in that role. Backup quarterback P.J. Walker has kicked in high school and has taken some practice reps, but that’s not an ideal answer.
Gonzalez had hit 17 straight field goals this season, emerging as one of the most consistent kickers in the league. He has also improved on kickoffs after some early struggles.
The Panthers had wide receiver Brandon Zylstra, running back Reggie Bonnafon, and linebacker Frankie Luvu attempting kickoffs in warm-ups.
