CHARLOTTE — Ikem Ekwonu knew pretty early on during Sunday's game that something was wrong with his knee.

"Well before halftime," Ekwonu shook his head, telling reporters on Wednesday when his knee started having issues against the Saints, reiterating, "well before halftime. I kind of knew something was up, I guess, like more like when it happened, but I mean, I guess the adrenaline definitely helped me kind of fight through those things.

"I got a job to do, and obviously, the decision to stay in the game was my decision overall, so I felt like I could go at that time. So, you know, I just pushed through it."

The issue put Ekwonu on the injury report on Wednesday, when the left tackle was unable to practice. Coach Dave Canales could tell something was going on during the game as well, but the full extent was't known until afterwards.

"He was battling out there, and you can kind of sense there was some stuff going on," Canales said. "In the postgame evaluation and as you start doing tests on him, there's something in there, there's something going on with his knee, and so we had to make sure that we took care of him today."

Ekwonu will be considered day-to-day, Canales shared. An MRI was done this week, but Ekwonu is hesitant to share the full results.

"I'm going to keep that sort of stuff in-house," Ekwonu explained, "but as I said before, I'm just treating myself day-to-day right now."

Sunday is the first of two games against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and for all intents and purposes, it is a playoff game. It's the kind a veteran lineman who has been in this program their entire career dream of playing in, and Ekwonu knows the decision to prioritize his knee versus the game come Sunday won't be easy.

"Those are all factors that go into my decision that ultimately I have to make," the lineman said.

It might be a preliminary concern, though, since the Panthers are happy to evaluate their left tackle throughout the week and see how he feels each time before he steps on the field.

"We're going to look at him tomorrow, see if we can get him out there to practice," Canales said. "But we're not really sure right now, so you know, we'll go through it."

Coaches and doctors will monitor Ekwonu's progress throughout the week to see if he can play.

"We'll make sure we do all the testing that we need to and do the right thing by Ickey," said Canales. "He wants to play, and I wouldn't expect anything different from him. But we have to make sure we do the right thing, and put him through the wringer, and make sure we test it so that it's strong and he's able to perform.

Of course, if possible, Ekwonu—who was drafted by the Panthers in 2022—will be on the field for such an important game. It's the kind of opportunity he's dreamed of since arriving, but now, unfortunate timing means he must weigh it against his future.

"I mean, it's definitely a lot of elements. I feel like, you know, the team knows and the guys in the locker room know that if I can be out there, I will," promised Ekwonu. "Obviously, the timing is always tough. I want to be out there for my teammates, the coaches, and everything. I just want to be out there representing the Panthers to the highest of my ability. So obviously disappointing, some of the timing and stuff, but it's hard to stop that."

Another potential OL combination

If Ekwonu can't go Sunday, the Panthers have veteran tackle Yosh Nijman waiting in the wings, but that would also create the 11th combination of starters in 15 games this season, after a rare repeat last week.

Nijman started the opener at left tackle when Ekwonu was recovering from his preseason appendectomy, but that was when Austin Corbett was at center, and Robert Hunt was at guard.

The Panthers had a number of options working on Wednesday, since left guard Damien Lewis was out with an illness, and right tackle Taylor Moton was limited with a back issue.

They've plugged in Jake Curhan at both guard spots (in the same game), and have also elevated practice squader Saahdiq Charles earlier this season.

But it will be at least another week before Hunt is an option, since they didn't open his 21-day practice window today as they did with wide receiver David Moore .

Canales said Hunt was still a "week-to-week" situation. He's been on IR since tearing a biceps tendon in Week 2, but has been working on the side in recent weeks.

"We did not feel confident enough after the first couple of days to open up his window this week," Canales said of Hunt. "We'll revisit it through the weekend and look at next week to see if we can open that up."

Mike Evans' return raises the competition

Much has been and will be made of Canales' year in Tampa as offensive coordinator, especially as it pertains to former Panthers quarterback Baker Mayfield.

But as a former receivers coach, he also had a close relationship during that time with Bucs star wideout Mike Evans, who returned from a seven-week absence because of a broken collarbone to have six catches for 132 yards against the Falcons last week.

"Just the competitor that he is, it really didn't matter what it was," Canales replied when asked what he learned about Evans. "It could be ping pong, it could be darts, it could be cards, certainly on the field, shooting hoops, whatever it is, he just loves to compete. He loves to find that moment. He brings a lot of energy."

Canales said he thought Evans "looked strong" last week, and with their research on this week's officiating crew, he knows they call a lot of secondary penalties for holding and pass interference, something Jaycee and Mike have already been made aware of.

In 21 games against the Panthers, Evans has 118 catches for 1,695 yards and 14 touchdowns, the most of any opponent.

"This is a guy that forces you to play a physical nature," Canales said of Evans. "And certainly you know he draws a lot of defensive pass interference calls, and going into this game, I understand the crew that we have, that's something that they do call. This is information we're aware of.

"But we have to be up to the challenge, and Jaycee and Mike are going to have their opportunities, and you have to play him physically, because he's going to bring that power forward type of mindset to the position, and so we're not going to back off of that. We have to continue to challenge him in different ways."

The Panthers know how to bounce back

There is a frustration among many about the Panthers' pattern of following big wins with seemingly inexplicable losses this season. Since their three-game win streak over the Dolphins, Cowboys, and Jets, the Panthers have alternated losses and wins each week.

So for every Rams or Packers game, there's a Saints or Saints game, and Canales said the signs suggest his team responds better to adversity than success.

"I mean, certainly the record would say to adversity," he replied. "And the way we've responded, and it does take a mentality and a mindset to be able to handle success well, so that that shows up consistently. And that's what we've been after, that's what we've been trying to capture, is how to just keep it going, and just build off of the things, build off the successes, and say let's find new lessons to learn. Let's not relearn lessons that we've already talked about and grown from, so we have another opportunity for that this week."

When they've had those bad losses, they've generally come out with some of their better performances of the year, and they haven't tossed consecutive games since Weeks 1 and 2.

"It's the character of the team," Canales said. "The guys look at these different opportunities to respond to adversity, and whether it's in a game or whether it's after the game, coming into the next one. And losing has a way of humbling you, and we're no different than any group where you know the greatest thing is these opportunities, even when you lose, can you learn from the things? Can you learn from the stuff that we didn't execute well, or different situations that I could've called something different? All of us taking that information in and being accountable to each other.

"I believe that's getting to the accountability piece of it where we all know we have a part in it, and so we just attack it head-on and try to right those things in meetings and when we can't wait to get back on the field to shore up some of the things that we want to show up for us."