Sutton was on the field for some crunch-time plays during Thursday's loss because of his pass-catching skills. He ended up with two catches for 18 yards and also added four punt returns for 106 yards. Obviously, snaps for Sutton are going to be extremely limited behind DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart.

Johnson was injured in the fourth quarter of Thursday's loss to the Dolphins. It's remarkably yet another injury to a Panthers' front seven that has been ravaged this season. Johnson was already filling in for Thomas Davis (injured reserve, knee).

"I could say, but I probably wouldn't," said Fox. Peppers injured his hand two weeks ago against New Orleans and has predominantly played on only passing downs since. Last week Fox would only go as far as saying that Peppers' hand is "messed up," while LB Jon Beason told reporters it was broken. Peppers has seven sacks on the season.

Johnson and Nail Diggs were prime culprits in a Panthers defense that struggled to tackle all night. His injury could open the door to more playing for Dan Connor, which may actually help the Panthers' run defense.

"The Muhsin Muhammad Is Back Tour lasted one week," said Gantt after his 27-yard performance Thursday night. The Panthers desperately need to address wide receiver this offseason, and it's clear that Dwayne Jarrett is not the answer.

Gantt calls Martin a rangy safety who is not afraid to lower his shoulder, and he has improved the team's pass defense. Godfrey is expected to be a bigger factor on special teams when he returns.

The coaching staff tried to coddle Delhomme's burgeoning confidence, calling more pass plays and ultimately damaging the team's chances of winning. Delhomme started a relatively strong 5-of-9 for 59 yards but fell apart thereafter while the playcallers continued to neglect a dominant rushing attack. Delhomme didn't completely melt down, however, so he's in no danger of losing his job going into next week's game against the Jets.